Comparative proteomics reveals proteins impacted by nitrogen deprivation in wild-type and high lipid-accumulating mutant strains of Tisochrysis lutea

•We studied growth and lipid build-up in Tisochrysis lutea WT and a selected mutant.•Lipid droplets of the mutant were larger and more numerous during nitrogen limitation.•2-DE and MS revealed 17 proteins affected by nitrogen limitation.•2-DE and MS revealed 37 proteins affected by strain selection.•We propose a set of proteins potentially involved in lipid over-accumulation.

Understanding microalgal lipid accumulation under nitrogen starvation is of major interest for biomass feedstock, food and biofuel production. Using a domesticated oleaginous algae Tisochrysis lutea, we performed the first comparative proteomic analysis on the wild type strain and a selected lipid over-accumulating mutant. 2-DE analysis was made on these strains cultured in two metabolic conditions, with and without nitrogen deprivation, which revealed significant differences in proteomes according to both strain and nitrogen availability. Mass spectrometry allowed us to identify 37 proteins that were differentially expressed between the two strains, and 17 proteins regulated by nitrogen starvation concomitantly with lipid accumulation. The proteins identified are known to be involved in various metabolic pathways including lipid, carbohydrate, amino acid, energy and pigment metabolisms, photosynthesis, protein translation, stress response and cell division. Four candidates were selected for possible implication in the over-accumulation of lipids during nitrogen starvation. These include the plastid beta-ketoacyl-ACP reductase protein, the coccolith scale associated protein and two glycoside hydrolases involved in biosynthesis of fatty acids, carbon homeostasis and carbohydrate catabolism, respectively. This proteomic study confirms the impact of nitrogen starvation on overall metabolism and provides new perspectives to study the lipid over-accumulation in the prymnesiophyte haptophyte T. lutea.Biological significanceThis paper study consists of the first proteomic analysis on Tisochrysis lutea, a non-model marine microalga of interest for aquaculture and lipids production. Comparative proteomics revealed proteins putatively involved in the up-accumulation of neutral lipids in a mutant strain during nitrogen starvation. The results are of great importance for future works to improve lipid accumulation in microalgae of biotechnological interest for biofuel production. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Proteomics of non-model organisms.

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