Oilseeds genetics

Monsanto/1996 Oilseed rape Plant Genetic Systems/1995 Oilseed rape (Canola)... 

Genetically engineered plants are special invaders. Modified crops of nutritional interest are believed to be more invasive that their natural counterparts (Wolfenbarger 2000), although these views have been challenged for oilseed rape, potato, maize, and sugar beet (Crawley 2001). 

Safflower In safflower plants expressing biopharmaceuticals, the protein of interest is fused to oleosin, the protein that forms oil bodies within the safflower seeds. The seeds can be crushed and the oil bodies then easily purified by centrifugation. This oleosin-fusion protein system was first developed by SemBioSys Genetics, Inc., in safflower or oilseed rape. 

Beversdorf, W.D., J. Weiss-Lerman, L.R. Erickson, and V. Souza Machado (1980). Transfer of cytoplasmically-inherited triazine resistance from bird s rape to cultivated oilseed rape (Brassica campestris and B. napus). Can. J. Genet. Cytol., 22 167-172. 

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. 

Finally, genes required for particular aspects of fatty acid and triacylglycerol biosynthesis can be identified in appropriate sources, cloned, and transferred to other plants. Rapeseed has proved to be particularly flexible in this respect, and its fatty acid composition has been modified in several ways, some of which have now reached or are very close to commercial application (Section 9.4). Genetic modification procedures are also applied to soybean and other oilseed crops. 

IMPROVED INDUSTRIAL USE FROM GENETICALLY ENGINEERING OILSEED CROPS... 

If the success of transgenic industrial oilseeds is to be measured on the basis of their commercial success (see (54) for an economic analysis of genetically modified industrial crop profitability), then the success of such crops can affect the prosperity of the industries they replace, such as chemical manufacturing. Although the overall benefit will be great, as renewable resources replace potentially limited resources, industries and workers may be displaced. 

Very few published examples of the genetic manipulation of terpenoid biosynthesis are available, but two interesting successes have been achieved in the area of terpenoid vitamins for example, the ratio of beneficial tocopherol (vitamin E) isomers in oilseeds has been altered by this means and increased P-carotene (a vitamin A precursor) in both rice kernels and rapeseed has been obtained by manipulating the carotenoid pathway [361]. 

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