METHOD OF INCREASING BIOMASS AND LIPID CONTENT IN A MICRO-ORGANISM AND A GENETICALLY MODIFIED MICRO-ORGANISM EXHIBITING ENHANCED AUTOPHAGY

摘要

According to an embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method of increasing biomass and lipid content in a micro-organism comprising cloning in a vector an exogenous gene sequence selected from the group comprising Atg1 gene, Atg6 gene, and Atg8 gene sequence wherein the sequence is codon optimized for said micro-organism, for inducing autophagy; introducing the vector containing the gene into the genome of the micro-organism to yield a genetically modified micro-organism; and growing the genetically modified micro-organism in suitable medium. According to another embodiment of the invention there is provided a method of increasing biomass and lipid content in a micro-organism exposed to stress, comprising treating the microorganism with an autophagy inducing agent.