The Effect of Sucrose, Potassium, and Glutamate on the Fatty Acid Profile of Physcomitrella patens

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Cell & Molecular Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University

2 Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University

3 Department of Phytochemistry, Medicinal Plants and Drugs Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University

4 Shahid Beheshti University

10.48308/pae.2026.242582.1130

Abstract

Physcomitrella patens, a long-evolved bryophyte, produces a range of polyunsaturated fatty  acids (PUFAs) through multiple desaturation and elongation processes. P. patens requires few resources to grow and proliferate in fatty acid production. Media engineering can effectively improve the valuable PUFAs, and here we have tested the effects of two engineered media on the changes in the fatty acid profiles of P. patens. A commercially available physcomitrium (cv. Gransden) was grown for 20 days at 25 °C under a 16: 8 h light (2000 Lux): dark cycle. The responses of two different media including treatment 1 with increased sucrose concentration of 30 g/L and  treatment 2 composes elevated levels of sucrose (62 g/L), potassium (0.8 g/L), and glutamate (1.42 g/L) were analyzed through fatty acid profile measurements using GC-FID. Pronounced changes including an increase in capric acid elevation in treatment 1 and elevated levels in palmitic and stearic acids in treatment 2 were detected in saturated fatty acids (SFAs), highlighting the significant impact of culture medium composition. Simultaneous alterations of sucrose, potassium and glutamate levels are particularly effective in enhancing the production of SFAs. The results of these experiments are expected to provide valuable insights into optimizing fatty acid production in P. patens, advancing biotechnological applications, and expanding its use in industrial and nutritional fields. Future research should aim to refine nutrient concentrations, explore the molecular mechanisms of fatty acid biosynthesis, and assess environmental factors to enhance and scale up production.

Keywords

References

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Plant, Algae, and Environment
Volume 9, Issue 4
DOi
December 2025
Pages 73-85

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