Development of microalga Scenedesmus dimorphus mutant with higher lipid content by radiation breeding

In this study, a high lipid-accumulating mutant strain of the microalgae Scenedesmus dimorphus was developed via radiation breeding. To induce mutant strain, S. dimorphus was gamma-irradiated at doses from 100 to 800 Gy, and then a mutant (Sd-Pm210) with 25 % increased lipid content was selected using Nile red staining methodology. Sd-Pm210 showed morphological changes and had higher growth rate compared to the wild type. From random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis, partial genetic modifications were also observed in Sd-Pm210. In comparisons of lipid content between wild type and Sd-Pm210 using thin-layer chromatography, the content of triacylglycerol was markedly higher in the Sd-Pm210 strain. The total peak area of fatty acid methyl ester was shown to have about 1.4-fold increase in Sd-Pm210, and major fatty acids were identified as palmitic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid. To define the metabolic changes in the mutant strain, 2-dimensional electrophoresis was conducted. Several proteins related to lipid synthesis and energy metabolisms were overexpressed in the mutant strain. These results showed that radiation breeding can be utilized for the development of efficient microalgae strains for biofuel production.