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Title: Targeted engineering of camelina and pennycress seeds for ultrahigh accumulation of acetyl-TAG
Acetyl-TAG (3-acetyl-1,2-diacylglycerol), unique triacylglycerols (TAG) possessing an acetate group at thesn-3 position, exhibit valuable properties, such as reduced viscosity and freezing points. Previous attempts to engineer acetyl-TAG production in oilseed crops did not achieve the high levels found in naturally producingEuonymusseeds. Here, we demonstrate the successful generation of camelina and pennycress transgenic lines accumulating nearly pure acetyl-TAG at 93 mol% and 98 mol%, respectively. These ultrahigh acetyl-TAG synthesizing lines were created using gene-editedFATTY ACID ELONGASE1(FAE1) mutant lines as an improved genetic background to increase levels of acetyl-CoA available for acetyl-TAG synthesis mediated by the expression of EfDAcT, a high-activity diacylglycerol acetyltransferase isolated fromEuonymus fortunei. Combining EfDAcT expression with suppression of the competing TAG-synthesizing enzyme DGAT1 further enhanced acetyl-TAG accumulation. These ultrahigh levels of acetyl-TAG exceed those in earlier engineered oilseeds and are equivalent or greater than those inEuonymusseeds. Imaging of lipid localization in transgenic seeds revealed that the low amounts of residual TAG were mostly confined to the embryonic axis. Similar spatial distributions of specific TAG and acetyl-TAG molecular species, as well as their probable diacylglycerol (DAG) precursors, provide additional evidence that acetyl-TAG and TAG are both synthesized from the same tissue-specific DAG pools. Remarkably, this ultrahigh production of acetyl-TAG in transgenic seeds exhibited minimal negative effects on seed properties, highlighting the potential for production of designer oils required for economical biofuel industries.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1829365
PAR ID:
10651693
Author(s) / Creator(s):
 ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  
Publisher / Repository:
Plant Biology - PNAS
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Volume:
121
Issue:
47
ISSN:
0027-8424
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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