Overview of spirulina: Biotechnological, biochemical and molecular biological aspects
Book chapter abstract
Authors/Editors
Strategic Research Themes
No matching items found.
Publication Details
Author list: Hongsthong A., Bunnag B.
Publisher: Hindawi
Publication year: 2009
Start page: 51
End page: 103
Number of pages: 53
ISBN: 9781607410928
eISSN: 1745-4557
Languages: English-Great Britain (EN-GB)
Abstract
The cyanobacterium Spirulina is well recognized as a potential food supplement for humans because of its high levels of protein (65-70% of dry weight), vitamins and minerals. In addition to its high protein level, Spirulina cells also contain significant amounts of phycocyanin, an antioxidant that is used as an ingredient in various products developed by cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Spirulina cells also produce sulfolipids that have been reported to exert inhibitory effects on the Herpes simplex type I virus. Moreover, Spirulina is able to synthesize polyunsaturated fatty acids such as glycerolipid γ-linolenic acid (GLA; C18:3Δ9,12,6), which comprise 30% of the total fatty acids or 1-1.5% of the dry weight under optimal growth conditions. GLA, the end product of the desaturation process in Spirulina, is a precursor for prostaglandin biosynthesis; prostaglandins are involved in a variety of processes related to human health and disease. Spirulina has advantages over other GLA-producing plants, such as evening primrose and borage, in terms of its short generation time and its compatibility with mass cultivation procedures. However, the GLA levels in Spirulina cells need to be increased to 3% of the dry weight in order to be cost-effective for industrial scale production. Therefore, extensive studies aimed at enhancing the GLA content of these cyanobacterial cells have been carried out during the past decade. As part of these extensive studies, molecular biological approaches have been used to study the gene regulation of the desaturation process in Spirulina in order to find approaches that would lead to increased GLA production. The desaturation process in S. platensis occurs through the catalytic activity of three enzymes, the Δ9, Δ12 and Δ6 desaturases encoded by the desC, desA and desD genes, respectively. According to our previous study, the cellular GLA level is increased by approximately 30% at low temperature (22oC) compared with its level in cells grown at the optimal growth temperature (35oC). Thus, the temperature stress response of Spirulina has been explored using various techniques, including proteomics. The importance of Spirulina has led to the sequencing of its genome, laying the foundation for various additional studies. However, despite the advances in heterologous expression systems, the primary challenge for molecular studies is the lack of a stable transformation system. Details on the aspects mentioned here will be discussed in the chapter highlighted Spirulina: Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Applications. © 2009 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords
No matching items found.
Contact Information