Kelp uses two separate chemical tricks to make hydrocarbons
Cabanel M, Légeret B, Scornet D, Godfroy O, Cuiné S
Algae
The kelp and seaweed you might spot on a coastal walk are running a biochemical trick found nowhere else in nature, and figuring out why could point to new ways of engineering hydrocarbon production from algae instead of oil.
Researchers found that brown algae, including kelp, make oily hydrocarbon molecules using two totally different chemical pathways inside the same organism. Every other plant, insect, or alga studied so far only has one way to do this, so finding a second, unexplained pathway in kelp is a genuine surprise. Scientists don't yet know what this second pathway does, but it might play some special role in how these algae live in the ocean.
Key Findings
Six fatty acid photodecarboxylase (FAP) homologs from diverse brown algae were confirmed functional when expressed in E. coli
Ectocarpus and Saccharina latissima (sugar kelp) produce two distinct intracellular hydrocarbons: n-pentadecane and a unique n-heneicosahexaene isomer
Genome editing showed n-pentadecane is made via the FAP pathway, while n-heneicosahexaene comes from a second, still-unidentified pathway, making brown algae the first known organism with two separate hydrocarbon-forming routes
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists discovered that brown algae like kelp make hydrocarbons using two completely different chemical pathways at once, something no other organism on Earth is known to do, hinting at a hidden biological role these molecules play.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Brown algae produce hydrocarbons via fatty acid photodecarboxylase-dependent and -independent pathways.
Across the tree of life, diverse organisms synthesize hydrocarbons (HCs) from fatty acids using various enzymes. In plants and insects, HCs are typically excreted (e.g. waxes, pheromones), whereas ...
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Kelps are large brown algae or seaweeds that make up the order Laminariales. There are about 30 genera. Despite its appearance and use of photosynthesis in chloroplasts, kelp is not a plant but a stramenopile.