This invention provides synthetic promoters capable of promoting and/or initiating transcription of a polynucleotide in an algal cell, and methods of designing, producing and using such promoters.

The present invention provides an isolated nucleic acid molecule comprising, or consisting of, the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1 or a nucleic acid sequence of at least 400 bp having at least 80% identity to said sequence of SEQ ID NO:1, wherein said isolated nucleic acid molecule specifically leads to the expression in rod photoreceptors of a gene when operatively linked to a nucleic acid sequence coding for said gene.

The present invention provides an isolated nucleic acid molecule comprising, or consisting of, the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1 or a nucleic acid sequence of at least 400 bp having at least 80% identity to said sequence of SEQ ID NO:1, wherein said isolated nucleic acid molecule specifically leads to the expression in rod photoreceptors of a gene when operatively linked to a nucleic acid sequence coding for said gene.

The invention relates to a peptide isolate isolated from a biomass of protein-rich microalgae, characterized in that it comprises: soluble peptides with a molecular weight of between 1 and 20 kDa, a protein content expressed as N.6.25 of more than 95%, essentially arginine and glutamic acid.

The invention relates to a peptide isolate isolated from a biomass of protein-rich microalgae, characterized in that it comprises: soluble peptides with a molecular weight of between 1 and 20 kDa, a protein content expressed as N.6.25 of more than 95%, essentially arginine and glutamic acid.

The invention relates to a method for fractionating the components of a biomass of protein-rich microalgae of the genus Chlorella, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: providing a microalgal biomass produced by fermentation, optionally, washing the biomass so as to eliminate the interstitial soluble compounds, thermal permeabilization of the biomass at a temperature of between 50 and 150° C., preferably 100 and 150° C., for a duration of between 10 seconds and 5 minutes, preferably for a duration of between 5 seconds and 1 minute, separation between the biomass thus permeabilized and the soluble fraction by a centrifugation technique, more particularly multistage centrifugation, optionally, recovery and clarification of the soluble fraction obtained in this way by microfiltration so as to remove residual insoluble substances therefrom, separation of the preceding soluble fraction by precipitation, so as to obtain a peptide isolate and a peptide concentrate.

The invention relates to a method for fractionating the components of a biomass of protein-rich microalgae of the genus Chlorella, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: providing a microalgal biomass produced by fermentation, optionally, washing the biomass so as to eliminate the interstitial soluble compounds, thermal permeabilization of the biomass at a temperature of between 50 and 150° C., preferably 100 and 150° C., for a duration of between 10 seconds and 5 minutes, preferably for a duration of between 5 seconds and 1 minute, separation between the biomass thus permeabilized and the soluble fraction by a centrifugation technique, more particularly multistage centrifugation, optionally, recovery and clarification of the soluble fraction obtained in this way by microfiltration so as to remove residual insoluble substances therefrom, separation of the preceding soluble fraction by precipitation, so as to obtain a peptide isolate and a peptide concentrate.

A recombinantly expressed nucleotide triphosphate transporter efficiently imports the triphosphates of unnatural nucleotides into cells, and the endogenous cellular machinery incorporates those nucleotides into cellular nucleic acids. UBPs can therefore form within the cell's nucleic acids. Moreover, neither the presence of the unnatural triphosphates nor the replication of the UBP represents a significant growth burden. The UBP is not efficiently excised by nucleic acid repair pathways, and therefore can be retained as long as the unnatural triphosphates are available in the growth medium. Thus, the resulting cell is the first organism to stably propagate an expanded genetic alphabet.

A recombinantly expressed nucleotide triphosphate transporter efficiently imports the triphosphates of unnatural nucleotides into cells, and the endogenous cellular machinery incorporates those nucleotides into cellular nucleic acids. UBPs can therefore form within the cell's nucleic acids. Moreover, neither the presence of the unnatural triphosphates nor the replication of the UBP represents a significant growth burden. The UBP is not efficiently excised by nucleic acid repair pathways, and therefore can be retained as long as the unnatural triphosphates are available in the growth medium. Thus, the resulting cell is the first organism to stably propagate an expanded genetic alphabet.

A genetically modified phototrophic cell for in-vivo production of hydrogen. The phototrophic cell has been genetically modified to the effect that a) at least one of the native photosystem I components has been deleted, b) the native hydrogenase has been deleted, and c) at least one fusion protein is expressed, comprising i. a hydrogenase or hydrogenase component and ii. at least one PSI component, with the proviso that the PSI is complemented by expression of the at least one fusion protein, and the hydrogenase component itself, or together with at least one further hydrogenase component expressibly introduced into the cell, has hydrogenase activity.