Sobrexpresión de la actividad lipasa de Chlamydomonas reinhardtti para incrementar la producción de lípidos con diferentes potenciales industriales.

In recent years, microalgae have been the subject of research due to their photosynthetic capacity, their
role in the production of atmospheric oxygen, as well as their role in environmental modeling. Their
adaptation to diverse ecological niches has allowed them to generate a wide variety of metabolites with
different industrial applications; at this point, microalgae biomass with high lipid content has emerged as an
alternative to traditional lipid sources, which face limitations related to intensive land and water use. Despite
their potential, microalgae production is not yet economically viable due to the high costs associated with
their cultivation and processing. The main challenges include the selection of suitable strains, the
optimization of cultivation conditions (such as light, nutrients and CO2
) and the design of more efficient
photobioreactors. In addition, improvements in lipid harvesting, drying and extraction technologies are
required. To improve the economic viability of microalgae, many researchers suggest integrating the
production of high value-added bioproducts. Within the vast diversity of microalgae, Chlamydomonas
reinhardtii has emerged as a model in physiological, biochemical, and genetic studies. Although it is not
considered an oleaginous microalga and its growth in open field conditions is limited, C. reinhardtii is key
to the study of biomolecule and biofuel production. It can be grown under different metabolic conditions
(photoautotrophy, heterotrophy and mixotrophy), making it a versatile organism for research. However, its
low competitiveness and large-scale lipid accumulation capacity have been obstacles to its industrial use.
Despite these limitations, recent advances in genetic engineering have improved the ability to modify
microalgae genomes, which is presented as an alternative to increase lipid production in C. reinhardtii.
Given this background, the main objective of the project is to modify the lipid metabolism of C. reinhardtii
through the overexpression of lipases, using bioengineering tools to increase lipid production. In this
research, strains of C. reinhardtii, both genetically modified and unmodified, will be grown in culture media
that induce stress to promote lipid production. Methods such as electroporation will be used to genetically
modify the strains, and techniques such as flow cytometry and fluorescent staining to detect and analyze
lipid accumulation. The application of these methodologies can contribute to areas such as renewable
energy, where microalgae are considered promising to produce biofuels. In addition, microalgae have
applications in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, as well as in the food industry, due to their
ability to produce compounds such as lipids, proteins, and vitamins. With these approaches, it is expected
to identify promising strains of C. reinhardtii for the development of bioproducts for various applications.

Sobreexpresar la actividad lipasa de Chlamydomonas reinhardtti para
incrementar la producción de lípidos con diferentes potenciales industriales.

Áreas de Investigación de la Escuela de Biología y del Centro de Investigación en Biotecnología:
Bioprocesos.