Prostaglandin Production in Marine Diatom Heterologously Expressing Cyclooxygenase
Corresponding email: tsuyo@cc.tuat.ac.jp
Published at : 28 Jan 2026
Volume : IJtech
Vol 17, No 1 (2026)
DOI : https://doi.org/10.14716/ijtech.v17i1.8219
| Mayu Murakami | Division of Biotechnology and Life Science, Institute of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 183-8588, Japan |
| Miho Kikuchi | Division of Biotechnology and Life Science, Institute of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 183-8588, Japan |
| Yuto Kurizaki | Division of Biotechnology and Life Science, Institute of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 183-8588, Japan |
| Satoshi Murata | Division of Biotechnology and Life Science, Institute of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 183-8588, Japan |
| Yoshiaki Maeda | Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennoudai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan |
| Hiroshi Tsugawa | Division of Biotechnology and Life Science, Institute of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 183-8588, Japan |
| Tsuyoshi Tanaka | Division of Biotechnology and Life Science, Institute of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 183-8588, Japan |
Prostaglandins (PGs) are biologically active molecules produced from C20 polyunsaturated fatty acids through the sequential actions of cyclooxygenase (COX) and various PG synthases. PGs are used for pharmaceutical purposes to induce labor and treat glaucoma. Currently, the market size of PGs was 17.5 billion US dollars in 2010. Commercial PGs are produced via chemical synthesis, which involves many reaction and purification steps, resulting in high production costs. In contrast, PG bioproduction using transgenic diatoms, which accumulate high amounts of C20 fatty acids (PG precursors), can be an eco-friendly alternative. However, PG production in microalgae remains limited. In this study, we examined the effect of newly identified diatom-derived cox genes on PG production in Phaeodactylum tricornutum, a model diatom that accumulates substantial amounts of eicosapentaenoic acid and arachidonic acid. Two cox genes from Skeletonema marinoi and Thalassiosira rotula were heterologously expressed, and PG production was detected only in the transformant expressing T. rotula-derived cox. The Trcox transformant exhibited a relative PG production level of 1.8, whereas the Smcox transformant produced no detectable PGs. The PG profile of the Trcox transformant consisted of 22.0% PGD2, 30.0% PGE2, 2.2% PGF2
, 19.3% PGD3, 19.7% PGE3, and 6.9% PGF3. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to demonstrate the PGs production in transgenic P. tricornutum with the diatom-derived cox gene. These and the findings from our results may contribute to the further application of diatoms in the production of industrial PGs.
Cyclooxygenase, Microalgae, Polyunsaturated fatty acid, Prostaglandins
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