Carbon flux through photosynthesis and central carbon metabolism show distinct patterns between algae, C(3) and C(4) plants

Photosynthesis-related pathways are regarded as a promising avenue for crop improvement. Whilst empirical studies have shown that photosynthetic efficiency is higher in microalgae than in C(3) or C(4) crops, the underlying reasons remain unclear. Using a tailor-made microfluidics labelling system to supply (13)CO(2) at steady state, we investigated in vivo labelling kinetics in intermediates of the Calvin Benson cycle and sugar, starch, organic acid and amino acid synthesis pathways, and in protein and lipids, in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Chlorella sorokiniana and Chlorella ohadii, which is the fastest growing green alga on record. We estimated flux patterns in these algae and compared them with published and new data from C(3) and C(4) plants. Our analyses identify distinct flux patterns supporting faster growth in photosynthetic cells, with some of the algae exhibiting faster ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate regeneration and increased fluxes through the lower glycolysis and anaplerotic pathways towards the tricarboxylic acid cycle, amino acid synthesis and lipid synthesis than in higher plants.