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. 1992 Jul 3;257(5066):72-4.
doi: 10.1126/science.1621095.

Fatty acid biosynthesis redirected to medium chains in transgenic oilseed plants

T A Voelker  1 , A C Worrell, L Anderson, J Bleibaum, C Fan, D J Hawkins, S E Radke, H M Davies
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Fatty acid biosynthesis redirected to medium chains in transgenic oilseed plants

T A Voelker et al. Science. .

Abstract

Medium-chain fatty acids (FAs), found in storage lipids of certain plants, are an important renewable resource. Seeds of undomesticated California bay accumulate laurate (12:0), and a 12:0-acyl-carrier protein thioesterase (BTE) has been purified from this tissue. Sequencing of BTE enabled the cloning of a complementary DNA coding for a plastid-targeted preprotein. Expression of the complementary DNA in the seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana resulted in BTE activity, and medium chains accumulated at the expense of long-chain (greater than or equal to 16) FAs. Laurate became the most abundant FA species and was deposited in the storage triacylglycerols. These results demonstrate a mechanism for medium-chain FA synthesis in plants.

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