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Abstract:
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Considering the nature of increasing global temperatures associated with elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide levels as a result of increased demand for energy , it is notable to consider viable options to reduce the strain that these increased carbon dioxide emissions are having on the overall impact of the global climate . Phaeodactylum tricornutum , a marine phytoplankton may be utilized to this end . Its unique ability to increase lipid production under environmental stress conditions , in particular those lipids that can easily be converted into biodiesel , make it an ideal candidate for this use . Here , we examine the effects of trans trans 2 ,4 decadienal (or DD for short ) , an aldehyde that is known to induce cell death in the diatom at high concentrations , as they relate to changes in the lipid biosynthesis pathway . 100 ml Axenic cultures of the diatom P . tricornutum were grown to exponential stage , harvested and treated with decadienal at a concentration of 5[mu]g /ml to determine effects on lipid production after 24 hours . Qualitative analysis undertaken using Nile red staining of treated and untreated cells indicated increased fluorescence of treated cells compared to unstained water controls , however this increase may not be attributable to increased lipid production due to the fact that cells were unfixed and must be verified through other means . Initial attempts to verify this finding through thin layer chromatography and qPCR were inconclusive . |