DIVERSITY OF LIPIDS IN ALGAE

Aakanksha1, Shilpi Samantray2, Supriya Guruprasad 2 & T.V Ramachandra2

Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi
1

2
Energy & Wetland Research Group, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore - 560012

Algae can be classified on the basis of :

INTRODUCTION Size of the algal cell

Microalgae Pigment color

Algae are: represent an
exceptionally Presence of flagella
diverse but highly
• Crytogamous specialized group of Life cycle
• Ubiquitous micro-organisms
• Prokaryotic or Eukaryotic adapted to various Stored material
• Photosynthetic ecological habitats.
• Reproduce asexually sometimes sexually Cell wall composition
• Planktonic or Benthic

CLASSIFICATION OF ALGAE
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Algae can be used as the feedstocks for the biodiesel because of its behavior of synthesizing and accumulating large amount of ALGAE
lipids , high growth rates, tolerance to very adverse conditions, production of value adding products.

Algal population can be affected by the environmental factors like seasonal changes, nutrient availability , light penetration etc.

Algae are primarily made up of proteins carbohydrates, fats and lipids in varying proportions.

They can accumulate large amount of protein about 47% of total biomass. Cyanophyta Chlorophyta Cryptophyta Bacillariophyta Haptophyta Dinophyta Eustigmatophyta

In algae the organic carbon is represented by carbohydrates, polysaccharides , nitrogenous and polyphenolic materials .

The diversity of algal lipids and its ability to modify the lipid composition according to environment made them ubiquitous.

Green algae are the most important oleaginous algae.

Lipids in Algae Classification of lipids

Lipids of algae
The ability of algae
to survive or
proliferate over a Polar lipids are mainly the part of membrane lipids. These are synthesized during normal conditions. They constitute
wide range of Polar Lipid Non Polar Lipid about 5-20% o f the cell.
environmental
conditions is, to a
large extent, Membrane lipids are mainly in the form of Glycosylglyserides which resides in chloroplast of the cell and other membrane
reflected in the Phospholipid Triacylglycerol lipid is phosphoglyserides which resides in the plasma membrane and endoplasmic membrane.
tremendous
diversity and Neutral lipids are synthesized during adverse conditions. These lipids get accumulated in the cytoplasm of the cell in the
sometimes unusual
pattern of cellular Sphingolipid form of densely packed bodies. Sometimes they can be stored in the inter-thylakoidal space of the chloroplast of some
lipids as well as the green algae.
ability to modify
lipid metabolism Neutral lipids can be TAGs or hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbons constitute about 5% of the total biomass. TAGs are the
efficiently in Glycolipid
response to changes potential feedstocks for the biodiesel production.
in environmental Hydrocarbon
conditions Fatty acids are the building blocks of lipids. Algae contain fatty acid having chain length C16- C18. Fatty acid can be
Sterol saturated or unsaturated depending on the presence of double bonds between carbon atoms. Saturated and Mono
unsaturated fatty acids are dominating in algae.
Factors affecting lipid composition Major applications of algal lipids
TAGs constitute about 80% of the total lipids found in algal cell . The TAGs having saturated and mono-unsaturated fatty
In algae genetic constituent decides the lipid content and composition in normal Algal neutral lipids (TAGs) are acids are used for biofuels production.
growth conditions.
the potential source of biofuels
In adverse situation the factors which decides the lipid composition is nutrients,
Algae oils have been found to be very high in unsaturated fatty acid . Some of these fatty acids are found in different
light intensity, temperature, growth phase and physiological conditions. algae species include : arachidonic acid , eicospentaenoic acid, docasahexaenoic acid, gamma-linolenic acid and linoleic
acid. The PUFAs found in algal species are omega 3, omega 4, omega 5, omega 6, omega 7, omega 9, omega 13. Among
The nutrient which basically affects the lipid composition is nitrogen, phosphate, these PUFAs omega 3 and omega 6 are essential fatty acids, which acts as nutrient supplement in mariculture.
silicate. The concentration of silicate affects the Diatom only. Starvation of these Some PUFAs ( omega 3 and
nutrients helps in accumulation of neutral lipids. The dominating fatty acids in bacillariophyta is C16:0,C16:1,C20:5ω3 and C22:6 ω3, in eustigmatophyta C16:0, C18:1,
sometimes omega 6) acts as
essential fatty acids which C20:3, and C20:4 ω3, in chlorophyta C16:0, C18:1, C18:2 and C18:3 ω3, in cryptophyta C16:0, C20:1, C18:3 ω3, C18:4,
With increasing temperature saturation of fatty acids starts increasing. and C20:5, in dinophyta C16:0, C18:5 ω3 and C22:6 ω3, in cyanophyta C16:0, C16:1, C18:1, C18:2 and C18:3 ω3.
provides nutrient supplement .
Low light intensity induces the formation of polar lipids.

During stationary phase amount of TAGs increases.

References
Fatty acid Bacillariophyta Eustigmatophyta Chlorophyta Haptophyta Cyanophyta Cryptophyta Dinophyta C16:0 C18:1 C18:1 C18:1 C18:2 C18:1 C16:0 C18:0 C18:0 C16:1 C20:1

C18:0 C18:1 C16:0 C18:1 C18:1 C16:0 C16:0 C18:1 C16:0 C18:1 C18:1 Ben-Amotz, A., Shaish, A. and Avron, M. (1989) Mode of action of the
C10:0 + massively accumulated b-carotene of Dunaliella bardawil in protecting the
C16:0 C18:1 C18:1 C18:1 C18:0 C18:1 C18:0 C18:2 C18:1 C16:0 C18:0 alga against damage by excess irradiation. Plant Physiol. 91, 1040–1043.
C11:0 +

C12:0 + Borowitzka, M. (1988) Fats, oils and hydrocarbons. In Microalgal

Biotechnology (Borowitzka, M.A. and Borowitzka, L.J., eds).Cambridge,
C14:0 + + + + + + C18:1 C16:1 C18:2 C16:0 C18:2 C16:1 C18:1 C18:1 C18:1 C18:1 C18:2 UK: Cambridge University Press, pp. 257–287.
C18:O C16:0 C16:0 C16:0 C18:1 C16:0 C18:2 C14:0 C16:0 C16:0 C18:1
C14:1 Brown, M.R., Dunstan, G.A., Norwood, S.J. and Miller, K.A. (1996) Effects
C18:2 C18:1 C18:2 C18:0 C16:0 C18:1 C18:2 C18:0 C18:1 C16:0 C14:0 of harvest stage and light on the biochemical composition of the diatom
C14:2 + Thalassiosira pseudonana. J. Phycol. 32, 64–73.
C15:0 + + +
Cobelas, M.A. and Lechado, J.Z. (1989) Lipids in microalgae. A review. I.
C16:0 + + + + + + + C18:0 C18:2 C18:1 C18:1 C18:1 C18:1 C18:1 C16:0 C18:0 C18:1 C18:1 Biochemistry. Grasas y Aceites, 40, 118–145.
C18:0 C16:0 C18:2 C18:0 C16:1 C16:0 C18:1 C16:0 C18:0 C16:0 C18:1
C16:1ω5 + Craigie,J.S., and Mclaclam, J. (1964). Excretion of colored ultraviolet-
C16:0 C18:1 C18:1 C16:O C18:1 C18:1 C18:1 C18:1 C18:0 C16:0 C18:1 absorbing substances by Marine algae. Can.J.Bot. 42: 23-33.
C16:1ω7 + + + + + + +

C16:1ω9 + + +
Guckert, J.B. and Cooksey, K.E. (1990) Triacylglyceride accumulation and
fatty acid changes in Chlorella (Chlorophyta) during high-pH induced cell
C16:2ω4 + + + cycle inhibition. J. Phycol. 26, 72–79.

C16:2ω7 + + + CONCLUSION Harwood, J.L. (1998) Membrane lipids in algae. In Lipids in

Photosynthesis: Structure, Function and Genetics (Siegenthaler, P.A. and
C16:3 + + Murata, N., eds). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Publishers, pp.
Algae are known as the potential source of Lipids.
53–64.
C17:0 +

C18:0 + + + + + +
The lipid classes are present in all the algal species are C16:0, C16:1ω7, C18:1ω9, C18:3ω3, Kathen, M. (1949) U¨ ber die Ermittelung der chemischen Konstitution von
C18:3ω6. Algenlipoiden mit Hilfe der Adsorptionsmethode. Arch.Mikrobiol. 14, 602–
C18:1ω7 + + + 634.

C18:1ω9 + + + + + + + They have the ability to produce TAG as a storage lipid under photo-oxidative stress or Lee, R.F. and Loeblich, A.R. III (1971) Distribution of 21:6 hydrocarbon
other adverse environmental conditions. and its relationship to 22:6 fatty acid in algae. Phytochemistry, 10, 593–602.
C18:1ω13 +

C18:2ω6 + + + + + + Chlorophyta, Bacillariophyta and Cyanobacteria are the most favored algae by the Lynch, D.V. and Thompson, G.A. (1982) Low temperature-
inducedalterations in the chloroplast and microsomal membranes of
C18:3ω3 + + + + + + +
researcher for biofuels production due to their high lipid content. Dunaliella salina. Plant Physiol. 69, 1369–1375.

C18:3ω6 + + + + + + + Some of these unsaturated fatty acids that are found in different algal species include: Mansour, M.P., Volkman, J.K. and Blackburn, S.I. (2003) The effect of
growth phase on the lipid class, fatty acid and sterol composition in the
C18:4ω3 + + + + + + arachidonic acid, eicospentaenoic acid, docasahexaenoic acid, gamma-linolenic acid, and
marine dinoflagellate, Gymnodinium sp. in batch culture. Phytochemistry,
linoleic acid. 63, 145–153
C18:5ω3 + +

C20:0 + TAGs are the Microalgal feedstock of Biodiesel production and PUFAs provides essential Ohlrogge, J. and Browse, J. (1995) Lipid biosynthesis. Plant Cell, 7, 957–
970.
fatty acids.
C20:1 +
Roessler, P.G. (1987) UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase activity in the
C20:4ω6 + + + Shift in lipid metabolism from membrane lipid synthesis to the storage of neutral lipids diatom Cyclotella cryptica: pathway of chrysolaminarin biosynthesis. J.
takes place in adverse situation. Phycol. 23, 494–498.
C20:5ω3 + + + + +

C22:5ω3 + +
Acknowledgement
C22:6ω3 + +
I want to thank entire EWRG for their valuable suggestions.
C24:0 +
Source LAKE 2010: WETLANDS, BIODIVERSITY AND CLIMATE
Table : showing the fatty acids present in different algae CHANGE