Dataset for investigating triacylglycerol accumulation in PBCV-1 infected Chlorella

<i>Chlorella</i> is a promising biofuel source due to its high lipid accumulation, rapid growth, and suitability for inland cultivation. However, how the <i>Paramecium bursaria Chlorella</i> virus 1 (PBCV-1) influences its triacylglycerol (TAG) accumulation remains underexplored. This data article provides a detailed description of the dataset generated to investigate TAG accumulation profiles in <i>Chlorella</i> infected with PBCV-1. The data, collected via high-resolution epifluorescence microscopy of over 4000 single cells across a full lytic cycle, includes measurements of TAG accumulation, chlorophyll fluorescence, and nuclear morphology, along with extracellular nutrient concentrations to rule out nutrient stress as a confounding factor. This dataset can be reused by researchers to develop new image analysis algorithms, train machine learning models, investigate virus-host interactions, and inform the development of more cost-effective biofuel production strategies.