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ARS Home » Midwest Area » St. Paul, Minnesota » Plant Science Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #61394
Title: GENOMIC SEQUENCE FOR A NUCLEAR GENE ENCODING ACETYL-COENZYME A CARBOXYLASE IN SOYBEAN

Author
item Anderson, James
item LUTZ, SHEILA - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
item GENGENBACH, BURLE - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
item Gronwald, John

Submitted to: Plant Physiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/15/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: There is a need to develop alternative uses for agricultural crops such as soybeans. Soybean oil has considerable potential as a renewable energy source to replace petroleum-based fuels and lubricants. However, the oil content of most soybean varieties is low (approximately 13-26%). The availability of high-oil soybeans would enhance the potential for development of this crop as a renewal energy source. If the genes that control oil biosynthesis in soybeans were identified, the techniques of genetic engineering could be used to increase their expression, and thereby increase oil content. However, our knowledge of genes that regulate oil content in soybeans is limited. The gene encoding the protein acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase) is believed to play an important role in determining soybean oil content. We cloned and sequenced one of the ACCase genes (ACCase-A) found in soybean. This sequence from the ACCase-A gene will be used to study the expression of this gene in developing soybean seeds. This research has advanced knowledge about one ACCase gene found in soybeans (ACCase-A) and has set the stage for further research to evaluate its importance in regulating oil content.

Technical Abstract: Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase) is a biotinylated enzyme that catalyzes the ATP-dependent carboxylation of acetyl-CoA to form malonyl-CoA. We cloned and sequenced one gene (ACCase-A) that encodes a multifunctional ACCase in soybean. ACCase A consists of 14,882 base pairs with a coding sequence of 6,786 base pairs contained in 31 exons. Comparison of the nucleotide coding sequence of ACCase-A with other higher plant, multifunctional ACCases indicated that the gene has 89% and 70% sequence identity with alfalfa and wheat ACCase, respectively. Examination of the first 1109 base pairs of 5' genomic sequence for ACCase-A did not indicate the presence of an open reading frame encoding a putative chloroplast transit peptide sequence. The lack of a coding sequence for a chloroplast transit peptide is further supported by the existence of an in-frame stop codon 15 base pairs upstream of the putative methionine start site. Our data indicate that the ACCase-A gene probably encodes a cytosolic ACCase isoform in soybean similar to those previously reported in alfalfa and Arabidopsis.