High-throughput Raman-activated cell sorting of microalgal genome-wide edited library revealed a regulatory pathway for carotenoid synthesis.
Wang Q, Gong Y, Wang L, Lv N, Du X
Crispr
Carotenoids are the same pigments that make your carrots orange, tomatoes red, and marigolds glow yellow — and understanding how algae crank up production could soon lead to more sustainable, affordable sources of these compounds for everything from plant-based foods to natural garden fertilizers.
Researchers created thousands of tiny algae plants, each with a different gene switched off, then used a laser system to quickly find which ones produced extra amounts of health-promoting pigments called carotenoids. They found two unexpected 'control switches' in the algae's biology — one involving how the cell breaks down old proteins, and another involving how genes get turned on and off without changing the DNA itself. This discovery gives scientists a powerful new way to find hidden gene functions in plants and algae.
Key Findings
A library of 3,567 single-gene-edited microalgae mutants was screened using high-throughput laser sorting, identifying key carotenoid regulators without any chemical labels or dyes.
Knocking out the gene noPAC4 boosted total carotenoid content by elevating violaxanthin, zeaxanthin, and β-carotene simultaneously, revealing it as a master regulator.
Two previously unknown carotenoid regulation mechanisms were discovered: epigenetic control via histone deacetylase (gene-switching machinery) and protein-degradation control via the 26S proteasome.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists built a massive library of gene-edited microalgae and used a laser-based sorting system to rapidly identify which genes control the production of carotenoids — the pigments that give plants and algae their orange, red, and yellow colors. They discovered two previously unknown genetic pathways that regulate carotenoid levels, opening new doors for producing these valuable compounds more efficiently.
Abstract Preview
Functional genomics have been hampered by the paucity of efficient methods that connect genotype and metabolic phenotype at single-cell resolution. Using the industrial microalga Nannochloropsis oc...
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