Arabidopsis cultivar

Conventional breeding has developed oilseed rape (Brassica napus) cultivars that can accumulate long-chain fatty acids such as C20 1 and C22 l, however the ability to accumulate short-chain fatty acids is limited. Similarly the ability to accumulate industrially useful hydroxy fatty acids and epoxy fatty acids is also limited with conventional breeding methods. Due to its close relationship to the crucifer Arabidopsis and its associated characterised genome, and the relative ease with which genes can be inserted into Brassica species, oilseed rape is seen as a key target species for genetic manipulation. 

Suspension cell cultures have been derived from a number of different plant species, including the widely-used laboratory model Arabidopsis thaliana [15], plants such as Catharanthus roseus and Taxus cus-pidata which are used to produce valuable secondary metaboHtes [16, 17], and important domestic crops such as tobacco, rice, alfalfa, tomato, and soybean [18-22]. Because cell lines from domestic crop species are well-characterized, they have been the most frequently used for recombinant protein production. The most popular cell hnes include those derived from the tobacco cultivars Bright Yellow 2 (BY-2) (Fig. 9.1) and Nicotiana tabacum 1 (NT-1) [2]. 

Based on our initial assessment of the relatively broad acyl specificity of yeast LPAT, and our interest in modifying the very long-chain fatty acid (VLCFA) content of Brassicaceae seed oils (4), we expressed the SLCl-1 gene in the model oilseed Arabidopsis thaliana, and in a high erucic acid B. napus cultivar. It will be shown that the yeast SLCl-1 gene can be used to change the content and composition of plant seed oils, via increased seed LPAT activity. 

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