HERBICIDE-RESISTANT LINES OF MICROALGAE - GROWTH AND FATTY-ACID COMPOSITION

Cell lines of Spirulina platensis and Porphyridium cruentum resistant to growth inhibition by the herbicide SAN 9785 had a significantly hig her growth rate than their respective wild-type strains. These lines w ere also shown to overproduce gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) and eicosapen taenoic acid (EPA), respectively, in the presence and absence of the i nhibitor, as compared with wild-type cultures under similar conditions . The effect was most conspicuous in polar lipids. Thus, the proportio n of GLA in the galactolipid (GL) fraction of the SAN 9785-resistant s train of S. platensis, SRS-1, increased in the absence of the inhibito r from 33.3% in the wild-type to 39.0%. Similarly, the proportion of E PA in the GL fraction of the resistant strain of P. cruentum, SRP, inc reased in the presence of the inhibitor from 29.1 to 45.4%.