Abstract
Algal lipid production is a promising third-generation biofuel platform offering high photosynthetic efficiency and reduced competition with food crops or arable land. Microalgae primarily synthesize and accumulate lipids as triacylglycerol (TAG) via the Kennedy pathway, which involves key enzymes such as glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH), lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase (LPAT), diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT), and phospholipid-diacylglycerol acyltransferase (PDAT). However, large-scale lipid production and recovery remain major bottlenecks in algal biofuel development. The Chlorella-specific lytic virus PBCV-1 has been proposed as a low-energy alternative for lipid recovery through viral-induced cell lysis and has been associated with enhanced lipid yields. Yet, the molecular mechanism driving this enhancement is still unclear. In this study, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to measure the changes in expression of key lipid biosynthetic enzymes during PBCV-1 infection to understand the virus’s influence on algal lipid metabolism and advance sustainable biotechnological approaches for renewable energy.
Keywords
Biofuel, Algae, PBCV-1
Date of this Version
12-8-2025
Recommended Citation
Choi, Yoonjung; Lopez, Amanda Michelle; Zhou, Zhi; and Brown, Paul B., "Investigating the Molecular Mechanism of PBCV-1 Virus-Induced Lipid Production Enhancement for Renewable Energy" (2025). Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship. Paper 76.
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/duri/76