Carbon metabolism:
Regulation of carbon partitioning and utilization in microalgae
In unfriendly environments, microalgae allocate carbon flux to storage metabolites, which are high-carbon compounds, and use them as an initial energy source in environments suitable for thriving. We are interested in the metabolism of diverse metabolites (e.g., carotenoids, lipids, toxins, etc.). In more detail, we are studying how microalgae regulate carbon metabolism by tracking the changes of metabolic processes and gene expression when they are exposed to and/or relieved of stress conditions.
Dr. Kim, together with the research team of Dr. Gwang Hoon Kim of Kongju National University, proposed that the regulational mechanism of the carotenoid over-accumulation of the halophilic microalga Dunaliella salina is related to the amplification of reactive oxygen species by RBOH-like protein (Kim et al., Algal Research (2024)). In addition, together with the group of Dr. Yonghua Li-Beisson of CEA Cadarache in France, they identified the regulator of the de novo fatty acid biosynthetic pathway in the model microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (Li Z. and Kim M. et al., Plant Biotechnology Journal (2025)).
* Image sources: Kim M. et al., Algal Research (2024) / Li Z. and Kim M. et al., Plant Biotechnology Journal (2025)
Kim Lab 