Publication Type: | Journal Article |
Year of Publication: | 2011 |
Authors: | van Erp, H, Bates, PD, Burgal, J, Shockey, J, Browse, J |
Journal: | Plant Physiology |
Volume: | 155 |
Issue: | 2 |
Date Published: | 2011 |
ISBN Number: | 00320889 |
Keywords: | Ricinus, Ricinus communis |
Abstract: | Producing unusual fatty acids (FAs) in crop plants has been a long-standing goal of green chemistry. However, expression of the enzymes that catalyze the primary synthesis of these unusual FAs in transgenic plants typically results in low levels of the desired FA. For example, seed-specific expression of castor (Ricinus communis) fatty acid hydroxylase (RcFAH) in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) resulted in only 17% hydroxy fatty acids (HFAs) in the seed oil. In order to increase HFA levels, we investigated castor phospholipidrdiacylglycerol acyltransferase (PDAT). We cloned cDNAs encoding three putative PDAT enzymes from a castor seed cDNA library and coexpressed them with RcFAH12. One isoform, RcPDATIA, increased HFA levels to 27%. Analysis of HFA-triacylglycerol molecular species and regiochemistry, along with analysis of the HFA content of phosphatidylcholine, indicates that RcPDATIA functions as a PDAT in vivo. Expression of RcFAH12 alone leads to a significant decrease in FA content of seeds. Coexpression of RcPDATIA and RcDGAT2 (for diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2) with RcFAH12 restored FA levels to nearly wild-type levels, and this was accompanied by a major increase in the mass of HFAs accumulating in the seeds. We show the usefulness of RcPDATIA for engineering plants with high levels of HFAs and alleviating bottlenecks due to the production of unusual FAs in transgenic oilseeds. |
URL: | http://www.jstor.org/stable/41434148 |
Short Title: | Plant Physiology |
Castor Phospholipid:Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase Facilitates Efficient Metabolism of Hydroxy Fatty Acids in Transgenic Arabidopsis
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