Cross-stress lipid response of Tetraselmis striata CTP4 to temperature and salinity variation

Tetraselmis striata CTP4 is a euryhaline, eurythermal microalga, rich in lipids, including omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. However, little is known about how salinity and temperature affect its lipid profile. This work sought to evaluate the plasticity of the lipidome of T. striata CTP4 grown under different combinations of salinity (5, 20 and 35 ppt) and temperature (10, 20, 30 and 40 degrees C) by gas-chromatography and liquid-chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. High salinity reduced phospholipid and glycolipid content and upregulated diacylglyceryl hydroxymethyltrimethyl-& beta;-alanine betaine lipids at 20 degrees C. Accumulation of omega-6 fatty acids was observed at higher temperatures, with changes in glycolipid composition and reduction of lipid species esterified to polyunsaturated fatty acids. T. striata CTP4 grown at 40 degrees C had higher triacylglycerol productivity, although imposing severe limitations on its survival. Overall, the different combinations of salinity and temperature allowed the production of biomass with dissimilar lipid composition and nutritional value with promising biotechnological applications.