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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbia, Missouri » Plant Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #143391
Title: MANIPULATING DESATURASE ACTIVITIES IN TRANSGENIC CROP PLANTS

Author
item KINNEY, ANTHONY - DUPONT CROP GENETICS
item CAHOON, EDGAR
item HITZ, WILLIAM - DUPONT CROP GENETICS

Submitted to: Biochemical Society Transactions
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/20/2002
Publication Date: 11/1/2002
Citation: KINNEY, A.J., CAHOON, E.B., HITZ, W.D. MANIPULATING DESATURASE ACTIVITIES IN TRANSGENIC CROP PLANTS. BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETY TRANSACTIONS. 2002. v. 30. p. 1099-1103.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The properties of edible vegetable oils are determined to a large extent by the relative content of the triglyceride fatty acids. The degree of saturation of these fatty acids can determine the functional, sensory, and nutritional value of the oil. One method of altering the unsaturated fatty acid content of oilseeds is by manipulating the expression of desaturase genes in these plants. Manipulating expression of desaturase genes in transgenic crops such as soybean, maize, and canola has led to oils with improved functionality and nutrition. We have also been successful in manipulating the fatty acid content of domesticated oilseed plants by expressing heterologous desaturase and desaturase-related genes from exotic plants that produce unusual fatty acids. We have discovered that metabolic regulation, the number of genetic alleles encoding fatty acid biosynthetic enzymes, and the movement of fatty acids among complex lipids in the cell all play a role in determining the effect of a transgene on the phenotype of the crop plant and the fatty acid composition of its seed oil.