Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Biomolecular Engineering & Marine Biotechnology Lab.
Multi-omics analysis of marine diatoms
Our laboratory is focusing on “diatoms”, which accumulate a large amount of lipids intracellularly, as the candidate strain for biofuel production. Diatoms are marine photosynthetic microorganisms that are coated by shells made up of silica, the raw material of glass. By examining the molecular breeding and culture process of diatoms, we are working on the improvement of lipid productivity and the reduction of input energy consumption during biofuel production.
The marine diatom Fistulifera solaris possesses 1 chloroplast and 2 oil droplets in its cell. Not only does F. solaris accumulate up to about 65% of lipids per unit dry weight, but it also divides within a very short time. In addition, as the constituents of its accumulated lipids are suitable for diesel, it is much anticipated as the candidate strain for biodiesel production.
F. solaris is the third diatom strain in the world to have its whole genome sequencing completed. Based on the whole genome information, our laboratory is conducting omics research to clarify the mechanism of lipid metabolism. So far, the existence of specifically expressed proteins on oil droplets has been confirmed through proteomic analysis. In addition, we are analyzing lipid composition changes during lipid accumulation to clarify the mechanism of lipid metabolism.