Regarding the resources for biodiesel fuel, some microalgae, such as Chlorella, Chlamydomonas, and Nannochloropsis, have a capability to accumulate triacylglycerol (TAG) as neutral lipids under nutrition-limiting conditions, such as under deficiency of nitrogen and phosphate 3, 4.

Lipid profile analysis suggested allocation of metabolites to other compounds including triacylglycerol instead of wax esters.Ī wide variety of microalgae provide various useful biochemical compounds such as carotenoids, long chain unsaturated fatty acids, pigments, and polysaccharides 1, and are also considered promising feedstock for biofuel as substitute for fossil fuels 2. Interestingly, the decreased ability to produce wax ester did not affect adaptation of E. gracilis cells treated with anaerobic conditions. Furthermore, experiments with gene silencing demonstrated a pivotal role of both EgWSD2 and EgWSD5 in wax ester synthesis, as evidenced by remarkably reduced wax ester contents in EgWSD2/5-double knockdown E. Among six possible Euglena WSD orthologs predicted by BLASTX search, gene expression analysis and in vivo evaluation for enzyme activity with yeast expressing individual recombinant WSDs indicated that two of them (EgWSD2 and EgWSD5) predominantly function as wax ester synthase. Here, we report the identification and characterization of wax ester synthase/diacylglycerol acyltrasferase (WSD) isoenzymes as the terminal enzymes of wax ester production in E. Thus, wax esters can be promising alternative biofuels. gracilis are composed of saturated fatty acids and alcohols, which are the major constituents of myristic acid and myristyl alcohol. Carnauba wax is a safe, non-toxic and inert ingredient.Wax ester fermentation is a unique energy gaining pathway for a unicellular phytoflagellated protozoan, Euglena gracilis, to survive under anaerobiosis. Carnauba wax has many other uses, including uses from car wax to dental floss. Coating tablets with the wax enables easier swallowing of the tablet. Carnauba wax is also known as palm wax or Brazil wax.Ĭarnauba wax primarily consists of fatty acid esters. Carnauba wax comes from the leaves of the Copernicia prunifera palm grown only in Brazil. What is it?Ĭarnauba wax is used in the pharmaceutical industry for tablet coatings and binding. Excipient (pharmacologically inactive substance)

Er waxer