How iron and metabolic constraints can aid gene discovery for photosynthesis and biofuel production

The single-cell green alga Chromochloris zofingiensis is an emerging model organism for photosynthesis and metabolism research. Previous research has shown that with the addition of glucose, Chromochloris zofingiensis shuts off photosynthesis, reroutes its metabolism, and accumulates high amounts of lipids (biofuel precursors) and astaxanthin (a high-value antioxidant).