A strategy for promoting astaxanthin accumulation in Haematococcus pluvialis by 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid application

Changsu Lee, Yoon E. Choi*, Yeoung Sang Yun

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    44 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The green algae Haematococcus pluvialis is a freshwater unicellular microalga belonging to Chlorophyceae. It is one of the best natural sources of astaxanthin, a secondary metabolite commonly used as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. Due to the importance of astaxanthin, various efforts have been made to increase its production. In this study, we attempted to develop a strategy for promoting astaxanthin accumulation in H. pluvialis using 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC), a precursor of ethylene (normally known as an aging hormone in plants). Our results demonstrated that ACC could enhance the growth of H. pluvialis, thereby promoting astaxanthin accumulation. Therefore, ACC has an indirect influence on astaxanthin production. We further verified the effect of ACC with a direct treatment of ethylene originated from banana peels. These results indicate that ethylene could be applied as an indirect method for enhancing growth and astaxanthin biosynthesis in H. pluvialis.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)120-127
    Number of pages8
    JournalJournal of Biotechnology
    Volume236
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2016 Oct 20

    Bibliographical note

    Funding Information:
    This research was financially supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education ( 2014R1A1A2055300 ).

    Publisher Copyright:
    © 2016 Elsevier B.V.

    Keywords

    • ACC
    • Astaxanthin
    • Growth
    • Haematococcus pluvialis
    • ROS

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Biotechnology
    • Bioengineering
    • Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'A strategy for promoting astaxanthin accumulation in Haematococcus pluvialis by 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid application'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this