Fatty acyl-CoA: fatty alcohol acyltransferases

An isolated polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID Nos:

• 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15.

A method of producing wax synthase in a host cell comprising the steps of

• growing a host cell having a recombinant DNA construct comprising a promoter functional in a host cell, and a nucleic acid sequence encoding an acyltransferase active in the formation of a wax ester from fatty alcohol and fatty acyl substrates.

A method of producing a wax ester in a host cell comprising the steps of

• growing a host cell having a recombinant construct comprising a promoter functional in a host cell, and a nucleic acid sequence which encodes at least a portion of an acyltransferase active in the formation of a wax ester, under conditions which will cause the expression of said acyltransferase,
• wherein said host cell comprises a fatty alcohol substrate of said acyltransferase, whereby wax ester is produced in said host cell.

A method for altering the oil content of a host cell comprising,

• growing a host cell having a recombinant construct comprising a promoter functional in a host cell, and a nucleic acid sequence which encodes at least a portion of an acyltransferase active in the formation of a wax ester, under conditions which will cause the expression of said acyltransferase.

A method of producing a fatty alcohol comprising the steps of

• growing a host cell having a recombinant construct comprising a promoter functional in a host cell, and a nucleic acid sequence which encodes an acyltransferase active in the formation of a wax ester, under conditions which will cause the expression of said acyltransferase, wherein said host cell comprises a fatty alcohol substrate of said acyltransferase, whereby wax ester is produced in said host cell,
• isolating said wax ester from said host cell, and
• subjecting said wax ester to conditions which fatty alcohols are produced.