The genome sequence and gene models of Auxenochlorella protothecoides 0710 have not been determined by the JGI, but were downloaded from the LANL Greenhouse omics knowledgebase on May 2, 2017. In order to allow comparative analyses with other genomes sequenced by the Joint Genome Institute, a copy of this genome is incorporated into the JGI Genome Portal. Please note that this copy of the genome is not maintained by LANL and is therefore not automatically updated.
Auxenochlorella protothecoides (Trebouxiophyceae, Chlorophyta) is a genus of single-cell green algae, which was first described by Krüger in 1894. It is highly regarded as one of the potential microalgae for biofuel production due to its ability to accumulate large quantity of lipids within the cell. A. protothecoides is 2-10 um in diameter, coccoid and free-living. It contains multiple mitochondria, a single cup-shaped chloroplast, rigid cell wall and no flagella. Unlike most autotrophic green algae, A. protothecoides cannot only live autotrophically by fixing sun’s energy through photosynthesis, but also can utilize organic components directly from environment for a heterotrophic growth. Compared with autotrophic cells, the intracellular structure and composition undergoes great changes in the heterotrophic cells. The most attractive phenomenon is the degradation of chloroplast and the accumulation of the oil bodies. The heterotrophic cells are more suitable for biodiesel production due to the increase in both biomass yield (51.2 g/L) and oil content (55.2%). Thus, A. protothecoides can serve as a model to study the mechanism of high oil accumulation and find ways to further reduce the cost of biodiesel.
Genome Reference(s)
Gao C, Wang Y, Shen Y, Yan D, He X, Dai J, Wu Q
Oil accumulation mechanisms of the oleaginous microalga Chlorella protothecoides revealed through its genome, transcriptomes, and proteomes.
BMC Genomics. 2014 Jul 10;15():582. doi: 10.1186/1471-2164-15-582