Publication: Untargeted metabolomics, lipidomics, and GC–MS profiling reveal species-specific and culture-induced metabolic signatures in brown macroalgae

The Institute of Bioprocess Engineering is a co-author of the article Untargeted metabolomics, lipidomics, and GC–MS profiling reveal species-specific and culture-induced metabolic signatures in brown macroalgae, which appeared in the journal Algal Research.

This study provides the first fully integrated comparison of metabolome, including lipids, primary and specialized secondary metabolites in the wild thallus of Fucus vesiculosus (FV), its derived callus (FVC), and two related brown macroalgae, F. spiralis (FS) and Saccharina latissima (SL), revealing how species identity and dedifferentiation reshape brown algal metabolism. Untargeted ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS) with Global Natural Products Social Molecular Networking (GNPS) molecular networking putatively annotated 106 metabolites across 14 chemical classes, showing species-specific enrichment of peptides, betaine lipids, oxylipins, sulfated phenolics, purine derivatives, amino acids, and chlorophyll catabolites. Venn analysis indicated FS and FV had the richest metabolomes (about 71–72% of metabolites), SL (59%), and FVC markedly reduced (37%), dominated by primary and stress-related metabolites. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) profiling revealed nitrogen-rich primary metabolites (88–95%), primarily pyroglutamic acid, alanine, glutamate, and proline. FVC showed complete depletion of tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates and a shift toward nitrogen assimilation and osmoprotective metabolism. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) lipidomics detected 65 lipid species with distinct species- and tissue-specific patterns; triacylglycerols and galactolipids prevailed in the wild thalli, while callus tissue accumulated sphingolipids, especially ceramides. Multivariate analyses, including principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), distinguished the four systems and identified key metabolic markers, with FVC characterized by suppressed secondary metabolites and elevated nucleotides, amino acids, and MGTA(16:1). Volcano plots revealed 49 metabolites differing between FV and FVC, mostly upregulated in wild thalli. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment highlighted purine metabolism, aromatic amino acid biosynthesis, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis as key pathways underlying species- and culture-dependent metabolic differentiation. This multi-platform metabolomics study offers a comprehensive view of metabolic reprogramming in brown macroalgae, informing chemotaxonomy and marine biotechnology.

R.M. Ibrahim, S. Alseekh, J. Haffelder, N.S. Ramadan, G.M. Abbas, A.R. Fernie, R. Ulber, A. Zayed; Untargeted metabolomics, lipidomics, and GC–MS profiling reveal species-specific and culture-induced metabolic signatures in brown macroalgae; Algal Research (2026) doi.org/10.1016/j.algal.2026.104748