Occurrence of carotenoids and sporopollenin in Nanochlorum eucaryotum, a novel marine alga with unusual characteristics.

Pigment analysis of Nanochlorum eucaryotum on two strains grown under different gaseous conditions was performed. Air-gassed control cultures did not differ qualitatively with respect to the content of chlorophylls a and b, carotenes alpha and beta, lutein, violaxanthin, neoxanthin and cryptoxanthin in comparison with cultures grown under natural gas. The absolute pigment content per cell increased in cultures grown with natural gas. Growth of N. eucaryotum depends on CO2 which is present in concentrations up to 2.0 vol% in natural gas. N. eucaryotum cannot utilize methane and is therefore not methylotrophic. In cultures of N. eucaryotum grown with natural gas and in air-gassed cultures under nitrogen deficient conditions the secondary carotenoids canthaxanthin and astaxanthin could be detected. In air-gassed cultures of strain N. eucaryotum Colona the same secondary carotenoids have been found, while secondary carotenoids were never found in strain N. eucaryotum Mainz. Cell walls of N. eucaryotum always contain sporopollenin as confirmed by isolation, elemental analysis, infrared absorption spectrophotometry, acetolysis-resistance and electron microscopy.