A New Trend for the Highly Efficient Transformation of the Microalga Chlorella Vulgaris  by Agrobacterium Tumefaciens

Authors

  • Somayeh Asghari * Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Health Sciences Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0458-2496

https://doi.org/10.48313/bic.vi.74

Abstract

The microscopic green microalga Chlorella Vulgaris  is an important member of photosynthetic microorganisms, producing a wide range of natural high-value compounds. Recently, C. Vulgaris  has been gained a great attention as a green bioreactor for the production of valuable biologicals ranging from therapeutic proteins to biofuels. Because of the lack of robust, efficient and low-cost transformation techniques, the significant potential of this expression system is often limited. The Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation as one of the most efficient method for the gene transformation can be an ideal solution for the microalgae genetic engineering. The transformation of C. Vulgaris  was evaluated using A. tumifaciens strain EHA101, carrying pCAMBIA1304 binary vector. Integration and expression of mgfp:uidA and hptII genes in the transformed cells were determined by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR), facs flow cytometry and β-Glucuronidase (GUS) activity assays. PCR data confirmed the successful integration of the mgfp and hptII genes into the C. Vulgaris  genome. RT-PCR analysis showed the transcripts of the genes were present in the transcriptome of the transformants. The expression of mgfp and uidA genes were successfully evaluated through the FL-1 channel in the facs flow cytometry and GUS activity assays. The strain EHA101 of A. tumifaciens could be used as a more ideal platform for the transformation of Chlorella in order to the high-efficiency production of valuable recombinant proteins.

Keywords:

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, Chlorella vulgaris, Gene expression, Microalgae, Recombinant protein

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Published

2024-03-03

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2024): Biocompounds

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Asghari, S. . . (2024). A New Trend for the Highly Efficient Transformation of the Microalga Chlorella Vulgaris  by Agrobacterium Tumefaciens. Biocompounds, 1(1), 63-73. https://doi.org/10.48313/bic.vi.74

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