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Synergistic effect of WRI1 and DGAT1 coexpression on triacylglycerol biosynthesis in plants
Author(s) -
Vanhercke Thomas,
El Tahchy Anna,
Shrestha Pushkar,
Zhou Xue-Rong,
Singh Surinder P.,
Petrie James R.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/j.febslet.2012.12.018
Subject(s) - nicotiana benthamiana , biosynthesis , biochemistry , fatty acid , polyunsaturated fatty acid , metabolic engineering , chemistry , metabolic pathway , flux (metallurgy) , gene , organic chemistry
Metabolic engineering approaches to increase plant oil levels can generally be divided into categories which increase fatty acid biosynthesis (‘Push’), are involved in TAG assembly (‘Pull’) or increase TAG storage/decrease breakdown (‘Accumulation’). In this study, we describe the surprising synergy when Push (WRI1) and Pull (DGAT1) approaches are combined. Co‐expression of these genes in the Nicotiana benthamiana transient leaf expression system resulted in TAG levels exceeding those expected from an additive effect and biochemical tracer studies confirmed increased flux of carbon through fatty acid and TAG synthesis pathways. Leaf fatty acid profile also synergistically shifts from polyunsaturated to monounsaturated fatty acids.