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Accumulation fatty acids of in Chlorella vulgaris under heterotrophic conditions in relation to activity of acetyl-CoA carboxylase, temperature, and co-immobilization with Azospirillum brasilense

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An Erratum to this article was published on 21 October 2014

Abstract

The relation between fatty acid accumulation, activity of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), and consequently lipid accumulation was studied in the microalgae Chlorella vulgaris co-immobilized with the plant growth-promoting bacterium Azospirillum brasilense under dark heterotrophic conditions with Na acetate as a carbon source. In C. vulgaris immobilized alone, cultivation experiments for 6 days showed that ACC activity is directly related to fatty acid accumulation, especially in the last 3 days. In co-immobilization experiments, A. brasilense exerted a significant positive effect over ACC activity, increased the quantity in all nine main fatty acids, increased total lipid accumulation in C. vulgaris, and mitigated negative effects of nonoptimal temperature for growth. No correlation between ACC activity and lipid accumulation in the cells was established for three different temperatures. This study demonstrated that the interaction between A. brasilense and C. vulgaris has a significant effect on fatty acid and lipid accumulation in the microalgae.

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Acknowledgments

At CIBNOR, we thank Manuel Moreno for general technical support, Ira Fogel for English editing and editorial services, Fernando Garcia-Carreño for use of the HPLC, and Laura Carreon, Maria de los Angeles Navarrete del Toro, and Orlando Lugo for technical assistance. This study was supported by Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia of Mexico (CONACYT-Basic Science-2009, contracts 130656 and 164548). Time for writing was provided by The Bashan Foundation, USA. L.A.L. is a recipient of a graduate fellowship (CONACYT #48487) and periodic grants from The Bashan Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Microbiology Group, Northwestern Center for Biological Research (CIBNOR), Av. IPN #195, La Paz, B.C.S., 23096, Mexico

    Luis A. Leyva, Yoav Bashan & Luz E. de-Bashan

  2. The Bashan Foundation, 3740 NW Harrison Blvd., Corvallis, OR, 97330, USA

    Yoav Bashan & Luz E. de-Bashan

  3. Centro de Biotecnología Genómica, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Blvd. Del Maestro s/n, Col. N. Mendoza, Reynosa, Tamaulipas, 88710, Mexico

    Alberto Mendoza

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  1. Luis A. Leyva
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  2. Yoav Bashan
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  3. Alberto Mendoza
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  4. Luz E. de-Bashan
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Correspondence to Luz E. de-Bashan.

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Dedication: This study is dedicated to the memory of the German/Spanish mycorrhizae researcher Dr. Horst Vierheilig (1964–2011) of CSIC, Spain

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Leyva, L.A., Bashan, Y., Mendoza, A. et al. Accumulation fatty acids of in Chlorella vulgaris under heterotrophic conditions in relation to activity of acetyl-CoA carboxylase, temperature, and co-immobilization with Azospirillum brasilense . Naturwissenschaften 101, 819–830 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-014-1223-x

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