Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1021/acs.est.3c05321
Title (Primary) A coculture of photoautotrophs and hydrolytic heterotrophs enables efficient upcycling of starch from wastewater toward biomass-derived products: Synergistic interactions impacting metabolism of the consortium
Author Pan, M.; Wang, Y.; Krömer, J.O.; Zhu, X; Lin, M.K.T.H.; Angelidaki, I.
Source Titel Environmental Science & Technology
Year 2023
Department UMB
Volume 57
Issue 41
Page From 15523
Page To 15532
Language englisch
Topic T7 Bioeconomy
Supplements https://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/acs.est.3c05321/suppl_file/es3c05321_si_001.pdf
Keywords eukaryotic coculture; metatranscriptomics; glucoamylase; lipid production; light regulation
Abstract Even with particular interest in sustainable development, due to the limited types of bioavailable carbon sources that could support heterotrophic/mixotrophic growth, microalgae-derived products still suffer from inconsistent yield and high costs. This study demonstrates a successful cocultivation of the photoautotroph Chlorella vulgaris with a hydrolytic-enzyme-abundant heterotroph, Saccharomycopsis fibuligera, enabling efficient starch upcycling from water/wastewater toward enhancing microalgae-dominant biomass and lipid production. The enzymatic activities of S. fibuligera contributed to the hydrolysis of starch into glucose, generating a 7-fold higher biomass through mixotrophic/heterotrophic growth of C. vulgaris. Further, scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and quantitative analysis suggested a significantly induced accumulation of lipids in C. vulgaris. Results of meta-transcriptomics revealed the critical regulatory role of illumination in interaction shifting. Gene expression for glycolysis and lipid biosynthesis of C. vulgaris were highly activated during dark periods. Meanwhile, during illumination periods, genes coding for glucoamylase and the sulfur-related activities in S. fibuligera were significantly upregulated, leading to induced starch hydrolysis and potential increased competition for sulfur utilization, respectively. This study indicates that hydrolytic organisms could collaborate to make starch bioavailable for nonhydrolytic microalgae, thus broadening the substrate spectrum and making starch a novel biotechnological feedstock for microalgae-derived products, e.g., biofuels or single-cell protein.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=28157
Pan, M., Wang, Y., Krömer, J.O., Zhu, X, Lin, M.K.T.H., Angelidaki, I. (2023):
A coculture of photoautotrophs and hydrolytic heterotrophs enables efficient upcycling of starch from wastewater toward biomass-derived products: Synergistic interactions impacting metabolism of the consortium
Environ. Sci. Technol. 57 (41), 15523 - 15532 10.1021/acs.est.3c05321