The influence of traumatic acid on the growth and metabolite content of the green alga Chlorella vulgaris Beijerinck

Abstract

The effect of exogenous traumatic acid, (2E)-dodecene-1,12-dioic acid (TA), at concentrations of 10 -6 - 10 -3 M on the growth and development of the unicellular green alga Chlorella vulgaris was examined over 7 days. TA plays an important role in algal growth and development. Treatment with 10 -5 M TA resulted in the greatest increase in cell numbers, by 77%, chlorophyll a content, by 126%, chlorophyll b, by 45%, total carotenoids, by 65%, monosaccharides, by 111%, and water-soluble proteins, by 37%, in relation to the control. After three days of treatment with 10 -5 M TA cultures were analysed by SDS-PAGE, which showed the presence of new polypeptides with molecular weights 13-103 kDa.