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Dunaliella bardawil is characterized as a mass accumulator of β-carotene through lycopene cyclization by lycopene cyclase catalysis. The present research tried to inhibit the formation of β-carotene in D. bardawil to accumulate lycopene using triethylamine, a lycopene cyclase inhibitor. Results showed that 50 ∼ 100 ppm triethylamine could steadily trigger lycopene production, and 150 ppm triethylamine treatment for 3 days led to maximum proportion of lycopene with lowest proportion of β-carotene. The upstream genes (GGPS, PSY, PDS, and ZDS) involved in lycopene biosynthesis of D. bardawil were upregulated after triethylamine treatment for 3 days. While the transcription levels of the downstream genes (LycB, LycE, and ChyB) were decreased at high triethylamine concentration (50 ∼ 150 ppm). Triethylamine seemed to increase lycopene metabolic flow by inhibiting the expressions of LycB and LycE, which stimulated the expression levels of the upstream genes. The increased expression of upstream genes resulting from the inhibition of lycopene cyclases in D. bardawil provides a new insight into the desired pathway of carotenoid synthesis in algae and plants.

Background There has been an increase in natural disasters in recent years, which leads to a great number of injuries and deaths. It still remains an unsolved problem to treat patients with vascular injury of solid organs effectively following natural disasters, but on-spot emergency interventional transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) has been highly recommended to cure serious vascular injury of solid organs nowadays. Spleen is the most vulnerable abdominal organ, severe arterial hemorrhage of which can cause death if untreated timely. In this research, we aimed to study the possibility of performing emergency surgical intervention in mobile minimally invasive interventional shelter for splenic injury in the case of natural disasters. Methods First, the mobile minimally invasive interventional shelter was unfolded in the field, and then disinfection and preoperative preparation were performed immediately. Eight large animal models of splenic injury were created, and angiograms were performed using a digital subtraction angiography machine in the mobile minimally invasive interventional shelter, and then the hemostatic embolizations of injured splenic artery were performed following the established convention of rapid intervention therapy. The operating time was recorded, and the survival condition and postoperative complications were observed for two weeks. Results and discussion The average time of unfolding the shelter, and performing disinfection and preoperative preparation was 33 ± 7 min. The number of colonies in the sterilized shelter body was 86 ± 13 cfu/m3. The average TAE time was 31 ± 7 min. All the hemostatic embolizations of splenic injury were performed successfully in the mobile minimally invasive interventional shelter during the operation. A pseudoaneurysm was found in an animal model using angiography two weeks after the operation. The primary clinical success rate of embolization was 87.5%. The two-week survival rate in all animal models of splenic injury was 100%. Conclusions Our findings in the current study demonstrate that the mobile minimally invasive interventional shelter can be adapted to the field perfectly and complete emergency surgical intervention for splenic injury efficiently and safely. Therefore, on-spot emergency interventional TAE for vascular injury of solid organs (e.g. spleen) in mobile minimally invasive interventional shelter is available and effective.