Brief Communication: Differential degradation of exogenous DNA in microalgal cell lysates
Chlorella sorokiniana is an industrially important microalga, but its genetic manipulation remains limited by poor transformation efficiency. Although several barriers have been proposed, the role of intracellular nuclease activity has received little attention. Here, we compared the degradation of exogenous double-stranded DNA in whole-cell lysates from transformation-recalcitrant (Chlorella…
Microalgae are significant in industry, but genetic manipulation has been hindered by low transformation efficiency. Researchers explored the potential role of intracellular nuclease activity in this process. They compared the breakdown of exogenous double-stranded DNA in lysates from microalgae with differing transformation capabilities.
Chlorella sorokiniana, a species known for its low transformation efficiency, rapidly degraded both linear and plasmid DNA within minutes. This degradation was inhibited by metal ion chelators like EDTA and Zn2+, indicating the involvement of a metal-dependent endonuclease. In contrast, two other microalgae species with higher transformation efficiency showed no detectable DNA degradation.
The study suggests that intracellular nuclease activity could be a significant barrier to exogenous DNA stability during transformation in recalcitrant microalgae. This finding opens up a new avenue for research, potentially revealing a target to enhance genetic transformation efficiency in these species.
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