Resveratrol is a plant phenolic secondary metabolite derived from phenylpropane metabolic pathway. It is a phytoalexin of high pharmaceutical interest produced in the defense response of plants. To produce resveratrol in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, 4-coumaroyl-CoA ligase (4CL) and stilbene synthase (STS), two enzymes in the last two steps of resveratrol synthesis in higher plants, were fused together by a glycine–serine–glycine (GSG) tripeptide linker after codon adaptation according to the genome of C. reinhardtii. The fusion protein 4CL-GSG-STS was overexpressed in a wild-type (CC125) and a wall-deficient C. reinhardtii (CC 425). A high level of resveratrol accumulation (22.8 μg g⁻¹, dry weight) was obtained in CC125 transformed with codon-adapted 4CL-GSG-STS after supplementary of cinnamic acid in the culture medium.

白藜芦醇是衍生自苯丙烷代谢途径的植物酚类次级代谢产物。它是在植物防御反应中产生的具有高度药用价值的植物抗毒素。为了在莱茵衣藻中产生白藜芦醇，4-香豆酰-CoA连接酶（4CL）和二苯乙烯合酶（STS），在高等植物中白藜芦醇合成的最后两个步骤中，将两种酶通过甘氨酸-丝氨酸-甘氨酸（GSG）融合在一起。密码子适应后根据C. reinhardtii基因组的三肽接头。融合蛋白4CL-GSG-STS在野生型（CC125）和壁缺陷型莱茵衣藻（CC 425）中过表达。高水平的白藜芦醇积聚（22.8μgg ^-1在培养基中补充肉桂酸后，在用密码子适应的4CL-GSG-STS转化的CC125中获得干重）。