Fatty acids and global metabolites profiling of Dunaliella tertiolecta by shifting culture conditions to nitrate deficiency and high light at different growth phases

In this study, Dunaliella tertiolecta cells were shifted to nitrate-deficient (ND) and/or high light (HL) conditions at different growth phases. Profiling of global metabolites and fatty acids of D. tertiolecta cells were performed by shifting cultivation condition at exponential (EX) and stationary (ST) phases. ND and/or HL induced saturation of fatty acids by increasing saturated fatty acid and monounsaturated fatty acid and decreasing polyunsaturated fatty acid in D. tertiolecta cultures. The relative levels of metabolites like proline, valine, isoleucine, and myoinositol, which act as osmolytes, and ergosterol and glycerol, which are related to the osmoregulatory mechanism, decreased to a greater extent by ND than HL shifts. In addition, the effects of these shifts at the EX phase were observed to be more significant in most of the fatty acids. The results of this research might be applicable to the interpretation of metabolic synthesis and fatty acid production, and to the optimization of cultivation conditions for the use of D. tertiolecta and other microalgae as biofuels or nutraceutical sources.