Increasing natural pigment production in Chlorella sorokiniana by boosting the interaction between ORANGE and PSY proteins

Heterologous co-expression of CsORANGE and CsPSY in engineered E. coli significantly increased lycopene accumulation.

• The green microalga Chlorella sorokiniana FZU60 is capable of achieving ultra-high biomass concentrations under heterotrophic conditions.
• CsORANGE and CsPSY were characterized, revealing GC-AG splice sites within their introns.
• A stable interaction between CsORANGE and CsPSY was predicted and confirmed through yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays.
• CRISPR activation of endogenous CsORANGE led to significantly enhanced carotenoid accumulation in engineered transformants.
• CsORANGE is associated with the positive regulation of carotenoid biosynthesis through direct interaction with CsPSY in C. sorokiniana FZU60.

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