5-Aminolevulinic acid promotes arachidonic acid biosynthesis in the red microalga Porphyridium purpureum.

This work demonstrated a simple and effective strategy to promote both biomass and ARA yield in P. purpureum by introducing a small amount of 5-ALA. These results are helpful for understanding the microalgae metabolic pathways affected by phytohormones and for guiding the development of bioproducts from microalgae.