Effect Of High Temperature On Activities And Lipid Production In Mutants Of Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii

Mostly organisms do not have the ability to cope with the high temperatures and this is one of the contributing environmental factors which can significantly affect the growth and lipid production capacity of that particular organism. In this study, we have tried to increase the growth and total lipid production of green microalgae, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii at high temperature because we know that they can be potentially utilized as novel raw materials for the production of biodiesel. We examined closely the effects of two different cultivation temperatures i.e., 25 degrees C (control) and 33 degrees C (high temperature). We have determined the biomass and lipid productivity of these strains. We also have done the biochemical analysis using carbohydrate, protein, chlorophyll and carotenoids content. Detailed fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) analysis of these strains has also been done using the GC-MS. Our results revealed that there is a strong negative correlation between biomass accumulation and lipid contents of the three selected mutant strains. Interestingly we found a differential preference of temperature among these algal strains, like CC-4033 grew faster at 25 degrees C but CC-1171 showed high growth at 33 degrees C. Our results showed that CC-1173 strain performed equally well at both selected temperature points. Similarly lipid contents were also changed at given temperatures in the order CC-4033 >CC-1171 >CC-1173 at 33 degrees C. In all three mutant strains FAMES were identified which are considered as the suitable biodiesel components. Antioxidant enzymes like catalase and ascorbate peroxidases were found to be low at 33 degrees C in all the studied strains. Here we suggest that CC-4033 strain can be considered as a potential mutant among all three mutants strains studied for the exploration of new renewable energy. (C) 2018 Friends Science Publishers