Synthetic Genomics, Inc.

Exxonmobil Research and Engineering Company

Jay McCarren

Leah Soriaga

Christen G DiPetrillo

Shaun Bailey

Jonathan E Meuser

Robert Christopher Brown

Soyan Leung Lieberman

Ariel S Schwartz

Graham Peers

Miguel Olaizola

Corey Neal Dodge

Joseph C Weissman

Anna E Romano

Daniel Yee

Robert D Nielsen

Robert C Brown

Roger C Prince

Mutant photosynthetic microorganisms having reduced chlorophyll and increased photosynthetic efficiency are provided. The mutant strains have mutated chloroplastic SRP54 genes and exhibit increased productivity with respect to wild type strains. Also provided are mutant algal strains having mutated cytosolic SRP54 genes. Provided herein are methods of producing biomass and other products such as lipids using strains having mutations in an SRP54 gene. Also included are constructs and methods for attenuating or disrupting SRP54 genes.

Algal chloroplastic SRP54 mutants

Mutant photosynthetic algae having increased biomass productivity are provided. The mutants have attenuated expression of violaxanthin chlorophyll a binding proteins (VCP) or fucoxanthin chlorophyll a/c binding proteins (FCP), reduced chlorophyll, higher apparent ETR(II), little to no reduction in Pper cell, and decreased NPQ over a wide range of light intensities. Provided herein are constructs for attenuating or disrupting VCP or FCP genes. Also provided are methods of culturing VCP or FCP mutants for the production of biomass or other products.

Enhanced productivity by attenuation of chlorophyll binding protein genes

Mutant photosynthetic microorganisms having reduced chlorophyll and increased photosynthetic efficiency are provided. The mutants have a locked in high light-acclimated phenotype, in which many of the photosynthetic parameters characteristic of high light acclimated wild type cells are found in the LIHLA mutants when acclimated to low light, such as reduced chlorophyll, reduced NPQ, higher qP, higher E, higher Pper unit chlorophyll with little to no reduction in Pper cell, and higher rates of electron transport through photosystem II over a wide range of light intensities. Provided herein are constructs for attenuating or disrupting genes are provided for generating mutants having the LIHLA phenotype. Also provided are methods of culturing LIHLA mutants for the production of biomass or other products.

Algal mutants having a locked-in high light acclimated phenotype

Systems and methods are provided for using a growth vessel to simulate algae growth and/or productivity in a reference environment, such as an open pond, a closed photobioreactor, or a hybrid system. Based on predicted algae sample trajectories in the reference environment, an illumination profile is developed. An algae sample in the growth vessel can then be exposed to the illumination profile under controlled conditions. Properties of algae in the reference environment can then be characterized based on the sample exposed to the illumination profile.

Method of illuminating algae for algae growth

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Cardiff, CA, United States of America

Jay McCarren