Microalgae as cellular factories for molecular crystals

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Microalgae as cellular factories for molecular crystals
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Nature Biotechnology (2026)Cite this article

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We show that dinoflagellates accumulate and crystallize nitrogen-rich molecules from aqueous solutions and use these crystals for growth. This behavior might have implications for understanding marine nitrogen cycling. Moreover, the crystallization behavior can be manipulated to biosynthesize difficult-to-crystallize reflective materials with tailored morphologies and optical properties.

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Fig. 1: The crystal morphologies of cytosine and xanthine found in A. carterae.

References

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This is a summary of: Wagner, A. et al. Harnessing microalgae for the biosynthesis of molecular crystals. Nat. Biotechnol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-026-03006-6 (2026).

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Microalgae as cellular factories for molecular crystals. Nat Biotechnol (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-026-03017-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-026-03017-3