The invention pertains to a method for synthesizing a product of interest by culturing a microalgal cell obtained from a subterranean habitat for producing the product of interest. The microalgal cell obtained from a subterranean habitat can be cultured in the dark, in light, in low nutrition, or nutrient rich conditions for at least a portion of production cycle. A combination of these conditions can be used to specifically manipulate a microalgal cell culture to produce a product of interest. The product of interest can be a water-soluble carotenoid, for example, a water-soluble carotenoid produced by culturing an algae belonging to the genus Haematococcus or a capsular exopolysaccharide produced by culturing an algae belonging to the genus Parachlorella. Compositions containing the water-soluble carotenoid, for example, as sunscreen and compositions containing the exopolysaccharide, for example, as moisturizing cream are also described.

The invention is directed to a culture medium for Haematococcus that contains combustion gases like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and oxides of nitrogen or sulfur and which fixes the carbon, nitrogen or sulfur in these combustion gases into biomass and to methods providing superior biomass yields using this culture medium to culture select species of Haematococcus such as Haematococcus sp. KAU-01.

Methods of enhancing biomass and secondary metabolite accumulation of microalgal species are described herein. A cell culture of the microalgal species were elicited using a combination of techniques for a period of time. Experimental studies compared biomass dry weight production, chlorophyll dry weight content and astaxanthin dry weight content between controls and elicitation treatments. The present invention demonstrated that combined elicitation is an effective method for improving cell biomass growth and astaxanthin production.

Methods of enhancing biomass and secondary metabolite accumulation of microalgal species are described herein. A cell culture of the microalgal species were elicited using a combination of techniques for a period of time. Experimental studies compared biomass dry weight production, chlorophyll dry weight content and astaxanthin dry weight content between controls and elicitation treatments. The present invention demonstrated that combined elicitation is an effective method for improving cell biomass growth and astaxanthin production.

Provided is a continuous microalgae culture module, including an outdoor culture unit, a high-density culture unit, a pigment induced unit, and a harvesting unit. A method of culturing microalgae containing macular pigment is also provided, including sequentially culturing microalgae with medium in the outdoor culture unit and the high-density culture unit, producing macular pigment in the pigment induced unit through different light irradiation, and collecting the microalgal biomass containing macular pigment in the harvesting unit.

A mutant carotenoidogenic bacterium, comprising any of genes (a)-(c) below: (a) a gene encoding a protein comprising a mutant amino acid sequence in which at least the 225th amino acid residue in the amino acid sequence of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate synthase of a carotenoidogenic bacterium has been substituted with other amino acid residue; (b) a gene encoding a protein comprising a mutant amino acid sequence in which at least the 305th amino acid residue in the amino acid sequence of decaprenyl diphosphate synthase of a carotenoidogenic bacterium has been substituted with other amino acid residue; and (c) both of the genes (a) and (b) above.

A mutant carotenoidogenic bacterium, comprising any of genes (a)-(c) below: (a) a gene encoding a protein comprising a mutant amino acid sequence in which at least the 225th amino acid residue in the amino acid sequence of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate synthase of a carotenoidogenic bacterium has been substituted with other amino acid residue; (b) a gene encoding a protein comprising a mutant amino acid sequence in which at least the 305th amino acid residue in the amino acid sequence of decaprenyl diphosphate synthase of a carotenoidogenic bacterium has been substituted with other amino acid residue; and (c) both of the genes (a) and (b) above.

The present invention relates to the field of molecular biology and cell biology. More specifically, the present invention relates to a CRISPR-CAS system for a lipolytic yeast host cell.

The present invention relates to a method for preparing a mutant strain having high producibility of phytoene and a mutant strain prepared thereby. More particularly, a Deinococcus radiodurans mutant strain, prepared by the method of the present invention, having high producibility of phytoene, does not retain an artificial antibiotic-resistant gene, although constructed by introducing a metabolism engineering method, and has high producibility of phytoene. Thus, the mutant strain prepared according to the method can find useful applications in the mass production of phytoene.

The disclosure discloses a method for processing oil crops with Rhodotorula, and belongs to the technical field of fermentation. The method includes the step of inoculating the Rhodotorula (such as Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, Sporidiobolus salmonicolor and Rhodotorula glutinis) that can produce carotenoid into a fermentation medium that contains oil-rich oil crops for solid state fermentation to obtain oil and oil crop meal rich in carotenoid. The carotenoid as a fermentative metabolite of the Rhodotorula has bioactivities of resisting oxidation, preventing vascular sclerosis, enhancing immunity and preventing cancers. Contents of carotenoid in the oil and oil crop meal acquired by the method can be up to 9.071 μg/g and 8.062 μg/g correspondingly. By the method, the oil and oil crop meal rich in carotenoid can be acquired at the same time by just once fermentation and once oil pressing without additional functional substances, and thus the production cost of the functional oil and the fermentation oil crop meal is greatly reduced.