Salinity induced lipid production in microalgae and cluster analysis (ICCB 16-BR_047)

This work aimed to gain mechanistic insights into the salt stress mediated enhanced lipid accumulation in microalgae. Two freshwater microalgae were isolated from North Guwahati Assam, and were identified as Chlorella sorokiniana CG12(KR905186) and Desmodesmus GS12(KR905187). The effects of various salts such as NaCl, KCl, MgCl2 and CaCl2 were investigated where CaCl2 exhibited the maximum effect on lipid enhancement up to 40.02% and 44.97% in CG12 and GS12, respectively. Furthermore, the substantial increase was observed in oleic acid content up to 64.18% and 53.46% in CG12 and GS12 in the presence of 25 mM and 5 mM CaCl2, respectively. Cluster analysis revealed the correlation between lipid profile alterations by varying concentration of salts. Based on the outcomes of the present study, it is hypothesized that Ca2+ plays a decisive role in the cell signaling under salt stress conditions and subsequently enhances the synthesis of lipid molecules. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.