Norwegian Research Council - IS-AUR

Project partner: 
Paris-Sud University - Institut de Chimie Physique

Oleaginous microorganisms are considered as one of the main alternative sources of lipids for human, animal and industrial use. Currently, a lot of activities are going on the developing sustainable production processes for microbial lipid production by using different types of oleaginous microorganisms and low-cost substrates (food and agricultural rest materials, industrial wastes). But, in order to develop a sustainable microbial lipid production process, a deeper understanding of the fundamental aspects of lipid accumulation in microbial cells is urgently needed.

Modern vibrational spectroscopy is an emerging technology for single cell lipidomics, which allows to study lipid accumulation processes at the single cell level. FunLip project will initiate and establish a long-term collaboration related to spectroscopy-based single cell lipidomics between the BioSpec group at NMBU and the Paris-Sud University group (represented by Alexandre Dazzi and Ariane Deniset-Besseau). The Paris-Sud University group is the main developer of one of the modern vibrational spectroscopy techniques (nanoFTIR spectroscopy) which have enormous potential in single cell lipidomics studies.

AFM-IR nanospectroscopy image of a cross-sectioned hyphae of oleaginous Mucor circinelloides fungi containing lipid bodies (Measured at Paris-Sud University, Paris, France).

Photo

Darya Dubava