The main focus of our project is to genetically modify Emiliana huxleyi to increase carbon fixation efficiency by increasing the amount of lipids and calcite they produce in a period of time. To directly improve the efficiency of lipid production, our team engineered DGA1. To improve the efficiency of calcite production, CA9 and NCE103 were chosen. Along with the control of CMV promoter, finally cloning into the Y312 plasmid backbone. In theory, with the expression of CA9, NCE103, and DGA1 genes, the E. huxleyi carbon fixation rate into lipids and coccoliths will be significantly increased under specific environmental conditions.
Radakovits, R., Jinkerson, R. E., Darzins, A., & Posewitz, M. C. (2010). Genetic Engineering of Algae for Enhanced Biofuel Production. Eukaryotic Cell, 9(4), 486–501. https://doi.org/10.1128/ec.00364-09
DGA1. DGA1 | SGD. (n.d.). https://www.yeastgenome.org/locus/S000005771
NCE103. NCE103 | SGD. (n.d.). https://www.yeastgenome.org/locus/S000004981
U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2025, August 19). Ca9 carbonic anhydrase 9 [homo sapiens (human)] - gene - NCBI. National Center for Biotechnology Information. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/768