Dl. Alonso et al., FIRST INSIGHTS INTO IMPROVEMENT OF EICOSAPENTAENOIC ACID CONTENT IN PHAEODACTYLUM-TRICORNUTUM (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE) BY INDUCED MUTAGENESIS, Journal of phycology, 32(2), 1996, pp. 339-345
A strain improvement program was initiated based on mutagenesis with t
he goal of commercial production of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)from EP
A-overproducing microalgal strains. Two rounds of mutation. and select
ion were conducted using Phaeodactylum tricornutum Bohlin UTEX #640 as
the parent strain. After the first round of mutagenesis, a putative m
utant (provisionally labeled I14) was obtained. The EPA content (ro of
dry weight) of this mutant strain was 37% higher than that of the wil
d type. I14 was further mutated and another putative mutant (provision
ally cabled II242) was isolated, the EPA content of which was 44% high
er than that of the wild type. When cultured with aeration in 1-L flas
ks, EPA content of the wild type and putative mutants I14 and II242 wa
s 17.3 mg . g(-1), 31.5 mg . g(-1), and 38.6 mg . g(-1) dry biomass, r
espectively. EPA productivity was 3.48 mg . L(-1). d(-1), 4.01 mg . L(
-1). d(-1), and 4.98 mg . L(-1). d(-1), respectively These figures com
pare favorably with many other promising EPA-producing microorganisms
and suggest that the use of a single methodology such as mutation and
selection is a way to improve the polyunsaturated fatty acid content o
f microalgae and other microorganisms.