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US 6,586,658 B1Granted
Modification of fatty acid metabolism in plants
AssigneeMetabolix, Inc.
InventorsOliver P. Peoples, Maurice Moloney, Nii Patterson, Kristi D. Snell
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AssigneeMetabolix, Inc.
InventorsOliver P. Peoples, Maurice Moloney, Nii Patterson, Kristi D. Snell
Estimating the term…
Methods and systems to modify fatty acid biosynthesis and oxidation in plants to make new polymers are provided. Two enzymes are essential: a hydratase such as D-specific enoyl-CoA hydratase, for example, the hydratase obtained from Aeromonas caviae, and a β-oxidation enzyme system. Some plants have a β-oxidation enzyme system which is sufficient to modify polymer synthesis when the plants are engineered to express the hydratase. Examples demonstrate production of polymer by expression of these enzymes in transgenic plants. Examples also demonstrate that modifications in fatty acid biosynthesis can be used to alter plant phenotypes, decreasing or eliminating seed production and increasing green plant biomass, as well as producing polyhydroxyalkanoates.
A method for manipulating the metabolism of a plant, comprising introducing heterologous nucleic acid sequences encoding fatty acid oxidation enzymes into plant cells under conditions wherein the nucleic acid sequences are integrated into the plant genome and the enzymes are expressed in the cytosol or optionally subsequently transported into the plastids of the plant, wherein the genes encode enzymes selected from the group consisting of enzymes converting acyl CoA thioester to trans-2-enoyl-CoA, hydrating trans-2-enoyl-CoA to R-3-hydroxy acyl CoA, hydrating trans-2-enoyl-CoA to S-3-hydroxy acylCoA, epimerizing S-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA to R-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA, oxidizing 3-hydroxyacyl CoA to form beta-keto acyl CoA, and thiolyzing beta-keto acyl CoA to yield acetyl CoA.
A DNA construct for use in a method of manipulating the metabolism of a plant cell comprising, in phase,
A transgenic plant or part thereof comprising heterologous nucleic acid sequences encoding fatty acid oxidation enzymes which are expressed in the cytosol or optionally subsequently transported into the plastids of the cells of the plant, wherein the genes encode enzymes selected from the group consisting of enzymes converting acyl CoA thioester to trans-2-enoyl-CoA, hydrating trans-2-enoyl-CoA to R-3-hydroxy acyl CoA, hydrating trans-2-enoyl-CoA to S-3-hydroxy acylCoA, epimerizing S-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA to R-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA, oxidizing 3-hydroxyacyl CoA to form beta-keto acyl CoA, and thiolyzing beta-keto acyl CoA to yield acetyl CoA.
A transgenic plant or part thereof comprising a DNA construct comprising, in phase,
A method to produce R-3-hydroxyacyl CoA from trans-2-enoyl-CoA and β-keto acyl CoA from R-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA in a plant comprising introducing a heterologous nucleic acid sequence encoding fox2 into the cells of the plant wherein the heterologous nucleic acid sequence is integrated into the genome of the cells of the plant and wherein the heterologous nucleic acid sequence encodes an enzyme that is expressed in the cytosol or optionally subsequently transported into the plastids of the plant.
A method for manipulating the metabolism of a plant, comprising introducing a heterologous nucleic acid sequence encoding a fatty oxidation enzyme into the cells of the plant under conditions wherein the heterologous nucleic acid sequence is integrated into the genome of the cells of the plant and the enzyme is expressed in the cytosol or optionally subsequently transported into the plastids of the cells of the plant, wherein the heterologous nucleic acid sequence encodes a fox1 enzyme.
A method for manipulating the metabolism of a plant, comprising introducing heterologous nucleic acid sequences encoding fatty acid oxidation enzymes into the cells of the plant under conditions wherein the heterologous nucleic adid sequences are integrated into the plant plastid genome and the enzymes are expressed in the plastids of the plant, wherein the heterologous nucleic acid sequences encode enzymes selected from the group consisting of enzymes converting acyl CoA thioester to trans-2enoyl-CoA, hydrating trans-2-enoyl-CoA to R-3-hydroxy acyl CoA, hydrating trans-2-enoyl-CoA to S-3-hydroxy acylCoA, epimerizing S-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA to R-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA, oxidizing 3-hydroxyacyl CoA to form beta-keto acyl CoA, and thiolyzing beta-keto acyl CoA to yield acetyl CoA.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.