Phloroglucinol Promotes Fucoxanthin Synthesis by Activating the cis -Zeatin and Brassinolide Pathways in Thalassiosira pseudonana

Abstract

Here, we demonstrate that phloroglucinol, a growth promoter in higher plants, also increases growth and fucoxanthin synthesis in the microalga Thalassiosira pseudonana and therefore may have substantial practical application for industrial fucoxanthin production. Phloroglucinol treatment also induced the synthesis of cis -zeatin and brassinolide in T. pseudonana , and the cis -zeatin and brassinolide signaling pathways were implicated in the phloroglucinol-driven increases in T. pseudonana growth and fucoxanthin synthesis.