Evaluation of strategies for improving the transgene expression in an oleaginous microalga Scenedesmus acutus

Background Genetic transformation of microalgae has been hampered by inefficient transgene expression, limiting the progress of microalgal biotechnology. Many vector tools and strategies have been developed in recent years to improve transgene expression in the model microalga Chlamydomonas, but these were hardly applied to other microalgae. In this work, naturally-isolated oleaginous microalgae were accessed for genetic transformation, and various expression systems were evaluated in a selected microalga to circumvent inefficient transgene expression.