Overexpression of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii LCIA (CrLCIA) gene increases growth of Nannochloropsis salina CCMP1776

Most aquatic photosynthetic organisms have developed inorganic carbon-concentrating mechanisms (CCMs) to compensate for the kinetic constraints of CO2 concentration in the vicinity of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco), which functions in the first steps of carbon fixation. CCMs, which are widespread in various types of algae, evolved independently among algal lineages and accordingly play a fundamental role in algal photosynthesis, metabolism, growth, and biomass production. Nannochloropsis, a marine eustigmatophycean microalga, is a candidate organism for biofuel production due to its high lipid content; however, inorganic carbon (Ci) availability in Nannochloropsis cells is not sufficient for complete carbon fixation due to inherently weak CCM machinery, including a CO2-leaking HCO3− pump. CrLCIA, a member of the formate-nitrite transporter family, functions as a HCO3− transporter in Chlamydomonas reinhardti. Thus, in this study, we overexpressed the CrLCIA gene heterologously in N. salina CCMP1776 in an attempt to reinforce its bicarbonate transport activity. CrLCIA expression in N. salina increased intracellular Ci and carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity, resulting in increased growth (30%) and biomass (2-fold). These results indicate that constitutively expressed CrLCIA leads to increased Ci uptake and CA activity, contributing to high availability of CO2 for photosynthesis under low CO2 conditions. The total fatty acid (FA) per cell mass in the transgenic lines was similar to that of wild-type Nannochloropsis cells, indicating that total FA productivity in the transgenic lines is increased approximately 2-fold. These findings will be useful to improve the CCM function for high biomass and lipid production using genetic modification tools in Nannochloropsis species, contributing to improved biodiesel production.