Probing rapid carbon fixation in fast-growing seaweed Ulva meridionalis using stable isotope (13)C-labelling

The high growth rate of Ulva seaweeds makes it a potential algal biomass resource. In particular, Ulva meridionalis grows up to fourfold a day. Here, we demonstrated strong carbon fixation by U. meridionalis using (13)C stable isotope labelling and traced the (13)C flux through sugar metabolites with isotope-ratio mass spectrometry (IR-MS), Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS), (13)C-nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry ((13)C-NMR), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS). U. meridionalis was first cultured in (13)C-labelled enriched artificial seawater for 0–12 h, and the algae were collected every 4 h. U. meridionalis grew 1.8-fold (dry weight), and the (13)C ratio reached 40% in 12 h, whereas (13)C incorporation hardly occurred under darkness. At the beginning of the light period, (13)C was incorporated into nucleic diphosphate (NDP) sugars in 4 h, and (13)C labelled peaks were identified using FT-ICR-MS spectra. Using semiquantitative (13)C-NMR measurements and GC–MS, (13)C was detected in starch and matrix polysaccharides after the formation of NDP sugars. Moreover, the 14:10 light:dark regime resulted into 85% of (13)C labelling was achieved after 72 h of cultivation. The rapid (13)C uptake by U. meridionalis shows its strong carbon fixation capacity as a promising seaweed biomass feedstock.