Figure 5.

Effect of MCC2 Gene Silencing on TAG Accumulation.

Relative mRNA levels of MCC2 (error bars represent se of triplicate technical replicates of duplicate cultures) (A), MCC2 protein levels (B), growth (C), accumulation of TAGs detected by Nile Red assay (fluorescence intensity normalized to cell number) and gas chromatography (D), nitrate utilization (E), and total lipid content (F) of wild-type and two RNAi silenced lines (mcc2a and mcc2b) grown in f/2 (NaNO₃ concentration was reduced to 500 μM) enriched artificial seawater medium. mRNA levels, immunoblotting, and lipid content analyses were performed at day 8. Protein concentration was determined using Image J software and normalized to the wild type. Error bars in (C) to (F) represent SE of three biological replicates. An asterisk indicates the values that were determined by the t test to be significantly different (P < 0.05) from the wild type.

[See online article for color version of this figure.]