Thraustochytrids are animate thing heterotrophic marine protists of the Stromatolite cluster, typically thought-about as non-photosynthetic microalgae. they need been isolated from a large vary of habitats together with deep ocean, however are largely gift in waters made in sediments and organic materials. they're bumper in Rhizophora mangle forests wherever they're major colonizers, feeding on decaying leaves and initiating the Rhizophora mangle food cycle. Discovered 80 years a gone, they need recently attracted hefty attention because of their biotechnological potential. This interest arises from their quick growth, their specific lipid metabolism and therefore the improvement of the genetic tools and transformation techniques. These organisms are notably made in ω3-docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), associate ‘essential’ carboxylic acid poorly encountered in land plants and animals however needed for human health. to supply their DHA, thraustochytrids use a complicated system totally different from the classical carboxylic acid synthase system. they're additionally a possible supply of squalene and carotenoids. Here we tend to review our current information concerning the life cycle, ecophysiology, and metabolism of those organisms, with a selected concentrate on lipid dynamics. we tend to describe the various pathways concerned in lipid and carboxylic acid syntheses, accenting their specificity, and that we report on the recent efforts aimed to engineer their lipid metabolism.