Affiliations 

  • 1 Centre of Foundation Studies for Agricultural Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
  • 2 Department of Basic Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya 20400, Sri Lanka
  • 3 Laboratory of Vaccine and Biomolecules (VacBio), Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
  • 4 102 Naname-go, Shinkamigoto-cho, Minami Matsuura-gun, Nagasaki 857-4214, Japan
  • 5 Department of Aquaculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia
  • 6 China-ASEAN College of Marine Sciences, Xiamen University Malaysia, Sepang, 43900 Selangor, Malaysia
Genes (Basel), 2020 09 25;11(10).
PMID: 32992970 DOI: 10.3390/genes11101131

Abstract

Chlorella is a popular microalga with robust physiological and biochemical characteristics, which can be cultured under various conditions. The exploration of the small RNA content of Chlorella could improve strategies for the enhancement of metabolite production from this microalga. In this study, stress was introduced to the Chlorella sorokiniana culture to produce high-value metabolites such as carotenoids and phenolic content. The small RNA transcriptome of C. sorokiniana was sequenced, focusing on microRNA (miRNA) content. From the analysis, 98 miRNAs were identified in cultures subjected to normal and stress conditions. The functional analysis result showed that the miRNA targets found were most often involved in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, followed by protein metabolism, cell cycle, and porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism. Furthermore, the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites such as carotenoids, terpenoids, and lipids was found mostly in stress conditions. These results may help to improve our understanding of regulatory mechanisms of miRNA in the biological and metabolic process of Chlorella species. It is important and timely to determine the true potential of this microalga species and to support the potential for genetic engineering of microalgae as they receive increasing focus for their development as an alternative source of biofuel, food, and health supplements.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.