Identification and metabolomic analysis of chemical modulators for lipid accumulation in Crypthecodinium cohnii

[Display omitted] •Evaluate effects of selective chemical modulators on lipid accumulation.•Discover cumulative effects of applying a combination of chemical modulators.•Determine metabolomics mechanisms responsible for enhancing effects of modulators.•Reveal changed metabolism associated with increased lipid accumulation. In the study, fourteen chemical modulators from five groups (i.e., auxin, gibberellin, cytokinin, signal transducer and amine) were evaluated for their effects on lipid accumulation in Crypthecodinium cohnii. The results showed that naphthoxyacetic acid (BNOA), 2-chlorodracylicacid, salicylic acid (SA), abscisic acid (ABA) and ethanolamine (ETA), increased lipid accumulation in C. cohnii by 10.00–18.78%. In addition, the combined uses of the above chemicals showed that two combinations, 1.0mg/L SA & 152.7mg/L ETA and 4.0mg/L BNOA & 152.7mg/L ETA, increased lipid accumulation by 22.45% and 20.54%, respectively. Moreover, a targeted metabolomic approach was employed to decipher the possible mechanisms responsible for the increased lipid accumulation, and the results showed that the enhanced metabolism in glycolysis and TCA cycle as well as the decreased metabolism in PPP pathway could be important for the stimulatory roles of BNOA & ETA and SA & ETA on lipid accumulation in C. cohnii.