From an industrial standpoint, these ‘lipid triggers’ can be useful for the production of polyunsaturated fatty acids (e.g. omega-3) and biodiesel from algal triacylglycerides. Despite the fact that specific fluxes in metabolic pathways caused by heterotrophic growth and nitrogen starvation have yet to be elucidated, these two conditions are important for understanding the mechanisms of regulating fatty acid biosynthesis in green algae.