A joint research team of CAS QIBEBT and Ruhr-University Bochum found that cytosolic carbonic anhydrase (CA2) is a key sensor of the extracellular carbon dioxide level in microalgae. By knocking out this gene in Nannochloropsis, the algae showed higher pH tolerance, sustained pH hemostasis, stimulated energy intake and enhanced photosynthesis, resulting in in ~40% elevation of biomass accumulation rate under 5% CO2 which was reproducible across photobioreactor types and cultivation scales.
CAS news release, March 28, 2019
Microalgae yield can be enhanced by knocking out carbonic anhydrase CA2