Metabolomic analysis of dunaliella salina upon concurrent deprivation of nitrogen and phosphor

Abstract

Nitrogen and phosphor are essential micronutrients for green algae growth. In our previous study, we have showed that the single deprivation of nitrogen or phosphor and concurrent both of Dunaliella salina resulted in retarded growth, decreased photosynthesis and respiration rates, altered antioxidant enzyme activities and the accumulations of carotenoids. To further understand the responsive mechanisms of D. salina to nutrients deprivation, herein, the metabolomic profiles under upon concurrent deprivation of nitrogen and phosphor were investigated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. A total of 81 kinds of metabolites were detected including 16 amino acids, 13 fatty acids, 14 organic acids, 18 sugars, 12 alcohols, 5 amines and 3 others. These molecules were subdivided into two groups according to their contents changes. Unsupervised principal component analysis and supervised partial least-squares analyses showed that metabolites changes significantly upon nutrients deprivation and biomarkers were identified. In addition, GC-MS data also indicated that the saturation of fatty acids under nitrogen and phosphor deprivation condition increased.