Photoprotection comes at a cost: non-photochemical quenching shapes growth–productivity trade-offs in Haematococcus lacustris

Non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) dissipates excess absorbed light energy and protects photosynthetic organisms from photodamage, but its role in regulating the balance between growth, stress tolerance and astaxanthin accumulation in Haematococcus lacustris remains unclear. Here, we investigated how enhanced NPQ affects photosynthetic performance, stress-induced differentiation, and productivity in this astaxanthin-producing microalga.

We isolated and characterized an NPQ-enhanced mutant line, A116, using cultivation assays under different stress conditions, analysis of photosynthetic parameters, pigment profiling, and whole-genome resequencing. A116 displayed stronger and faster NPQ induction, driven by increased LHCSR accumulation, resulting in decreased photosynthetic electron transport and lower photochemical efficiency under moderate-to-high light. Enhanced NPQ delayed the transition to astaxanthin-rich cysts under high light, allowing greater biomass accumulation under CO ₂ -limiting conditions. However, under high CO ₂ availability, where carbon fixation relieved excitation pressure supporting efficient photosynthesis, the enhanced NPQ phenotype reduced growth and astaxanthin productivity compared with the wild type.

These results show that NPQ modulates a context-dependent trade-off between photoprotection and productivity in Haematococcus lacustris . Increased energy dissipation can improve high-light tolerance under carbon limitation, but becomes detrimental when absorbed light can be efficiently used for carbon assimilation. Thus, optimal algal productivity requires tuning photoprotective capacity to environmental conditions rather than maximizing NPQ.