EFFECT OF LIGHT IRRADIANCE ON THE PRODUCTION OF SULFOLIPIDS FROM ANABAENA-7120 IN A FED-BATCH PHOTOBIOREACTOR

Sulfolipids have recently emerged as promising antiHIV and antitumor t herapeutics. These lipids have been found in association with the phot osynthetic apparatus in most photoautotrophic organisms. To date there have been no quantitative studies on the effect of environmental fact ors on the production of sulfolipid. In this study, we present results on the effect of light irradiance on the production of sulfolipids us ing the cyanobacterium Anabaena 7120. The cyanobacteria are grown in a 2 L fed-batch photobioreactor at various external-light intensities. Total lipids are extracted using the Folsch procedure and sulfolipids are quantified using thin-layer chromatography and scanning densitomet ry. We have achieved a maximum of 14 mg sulfolipid/g dry weight of cel l. Our results indicate that there are two stages in the specific rate of production of sulfolipids, one in the declining exponential-growth phase of the cells and the other in the light-limited stage of growth .