The unicellular heterotrophic thraustochytrids are attractive candidates for commercial polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) production. However, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated in their aerobic fermentation process often limits their PUFA titer. Yet, the specific mechanisms of ROS involvement in the crosstalk between oxidative stress and intracellular lipid synthesis remain poorly described. Metabolic engineering to improve the PUFA yield in thraustochytrids without compromising growth is an important aspect of economic feasibility. To fill this gap, we overexpressed the antioxidative gene superoxide dismutase (SOD1) by integrating it into the genome of thraustochytrid Schizochytrium sp. PKU#Mn4 using a novel genetic transformation system. This study reports the ROS alleviation, enhanced PUFA production and transcriptome changes resulting from the SOD1 overexpression. SOD1 activity in the recombinant improved by 5.2-71.6% along with 7.8-38.5% decline in ROS during the fermentation process. Interestingly, the total antioxidant capacity in the recombinant remained higher than wild-type and above zero in the entire process. Although lipid profile was similar to that of wild-type, the concentrations of major fatty acids in the recombinant were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher. The PUFA titer increased up to 1232 ± 41 mg/L, which was 32.9% higher (p ≤ 0.001) than the wild type. Transcriptome analysis revealed strong downregulation of genes potentially involved in β-oxidation of fatty acids in peroxisome and upregulation of genes catalyzing lipid biosynthesis. Our results enrich the knowledge on stress-induced PUFA biosynthesis and the putative role of ROS in the regulation of lipid metabolism in oleaginous thraustochytrids. This study provides a new and alternate strategy for cost-effective industrial fermentation of PUFA.

Fungi are considered terrestrial and oceans are a “fungal desert”. However, with the considerable progress made over past decades, fungi have emerged as morphologically, phylogenetically, and functionally diverse components of the marine water column. Although their communities are influenced by a plethora of environmental factors, the most influential include salinity, temperature, nutrients, and dissolved oxygen, suggesting that fungi respond to local environmental gradients. The biomass carbon of planktonic fungi exhibits spatiotemporal dynamics and can reach up to 1 μg CL⁻¹ of seawater, rivaling bacteria on some occasions, which suggests their active and important role in the water column. In the nutrient-rich coastal water column, there is increasing evidence for their contribution to biogeochemical cycling and food web dynamics on account of their saprotrophic, parasitic, hyper-parasitic, and pathogenic attributes. Conversely, relatively little is known about their function in the open-ocean water column. Interestingly, methodological advances in sequencing and omics approach, the standardization of sequence data analysis tools, and integration of data through network analyses are enhancing our current understanding of the ecological roles of these multifarious and enigmatic members of the marine water column. This review summarizes the current knowledge of the diversity and abundance of planktonic fungi in the world’s oceans and provides an integrated and holistic view of their ecological roles.