Effects of Piperonyl Butoxide on the Accumulation of Lipid and the Transcript Levels of DtMFPαin Dunaliella tertiolecta

As one of the sources of biodiesel, microalgae are expected to solve petroleum shortage. In this study, different concentrations of piperonyl butoxide were added to the culture medium to investigate their effects on the growth, pigment content, lipid accumulation, and content of carotenoids in Dunaliella tertiolecta. The results showed that piperonyl butoxide addition significantly decreased the biomass, chlorophyll content, and total carotenoid content but hugely increased the lipid accumulation. With the treatment of 150 ppm piperonyl butoxide combined with 8000 Lux light intensity, the final lipid accumulation and single cell lipid content were further increased by 21.79 and 76.42% compared to those of the control, respectively. The lipid accumulation in D. tertiolecta is probably related to the increased expression of DtMFP alpha in D. tertiolecta under the action of piperonyl butoxide. The phylogenetic trees of D. tertiolecta and other oil-rich plants were constructed by multiple sequence alignment of DtMFP alpha, demonstrating their evolutionary relationship, and the tertiary structure of DtMFP alpha was predicted. In conclusion, piperonyl butoxide has a significant effect on lipid accumulation in D. tertiolecta, which provides valuable insights into chemical inducers to enhance biodiesel production in microalgae to solve the problem of diesel shortage.

Automated summary

In this study, the effects of piperonyl butoxide on the growth, pigment content, lipid accumulation, and content of carotenoids in Dunaliella tertiolecta were investigated. The results showed that piperonyl butoxide significantly decreased biomass, chlorophyll content, and total carotenoid content, but increased lipid accumulation. The addition of piperonyl butoxide combined with specific light intensity further increased lipid accumulation and single cell lipid content. The study provides valuable insights into chemical inducers for enhancing biodiesel production in microalgae to solve the problem of diesel shortage.