Membrane lipid remodeling under phosphate (Pi) limitation, a process that replaces structural membrane phospholipids with nonphosphorus lipids, is a widely observed adaptive response in plants and algae. Here, we identified the transcription factor phosphorus starvation response 1 (NoPSR1) as an indispensable player for regulating membrane lipid conversion during Pi starvation in the microalga Nannochloropsis oceanica. Knocking out NoPSR1 scarcely perturbed membrane lipid composition under Pi-sufficient conditions but significantly impaired dynamic alteration in membrane lipids during Pi starvation. In contrast, the absence of NoPSR1 led to no obvious change in cell proliferation or storage lipid accumulation under either nutrient-sufficient or Pi-deficient conditions. Our results demonstrate a key factor controlling the membrane lipid profile during the Pi starvation response in N. oceanica.
Keywords: Nannochloropsis oceanica; membrane lipid; phosphate starvation; transcription factor.
© 2020 The Authors. FEBS Letters published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Federation of European Biochemical Societies.