Progress 07/01/09 to 06/30/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The overall goal of this project is to develop information and technology that will enable the production of high value oils and waxes in conventional oilseed crops. This has proven to be a complex and ambitious goal that requires the understanding of multiple systems, and the engineering of multiple genes simultaneously. Current work is focused on using various over-expression strategies and biochemical analyses (HPLC-MS) to identify individual A. thaliana wax synthase genes that are involved in the synthesis of high molecular weight wax esters. Ongoing analyses also continue toward prospecting for new genes from other native plants involved in the production of unique high value oils and waxes. The continued characterization of regulatory regions governing the expression of wax synthase homologues in A. thaliana, the characterization of metabolic products produced by identified genes, and continued wax synthesis gene discovery work are the future objectives. This information is disseminated through publications (Klypin and Hanson, 2008) and poster presentations at regional and national scientific meetings. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: Alternative crops for the production of industrial level oils. Environmentally sound. Bio engineering. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Bioinformatics conducted by researchers on this project strongly support an essential component of the eventual success of this proposal, that most plant species do possess the ability to produce high molecular weight waxes similar to jojoba wax. Combined with other observations, research on this project also supports that oilseed crops, in particular conventional oilseed crops such as A. thaliana and other Brassica spp, can be manipulated to efficiently produce high levels of high value waxes by manipulation of their endogenous genes. Contributions to the knowledge base during this award period also include the development of a rapid system for characterization of waxes produced by individual genes. Plants adapted to desert environments produce a variety of novel high value compounds not normally found in high levels in conventional crops. Since efficient production of most desert plants is not practical (native plants like jojoba are not easily domesticated), it is likely that biotech approaches can be used to create conventional oilseed crops that express useful levels of these high value oils and waxes. While the overall goal of this project is ambitious and long term, the impacts of this work will be far reaching.
Publications
- Klypina, N. and Hanson, S. F. 2008. Arabidopsis thaliana wax synthase gene homologues show diverse expression patterns that suggest a specialized role for these genes in reproductive organs. Plant Science 175: 312 320
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Progress 07/01/08 to 06/30/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The overall goal of this project is to develop information and technology that will enable the production of high value oils and waxes in conventional oilseed crops. This has proven to be a complex and ambitious goal that requires the understanding of multiple systems, and the engineering of multiple genes simultaneously. Current work is focused on using various over-expression strategies and biochemical analyses (HPLC-MS) to identify individual A. thaliana wax synthase genes that are involved in the synthesis of high molecular weight wax esters. Ongoing analyses also continue toward prospecting for new genes from other native plants involved in the production of unique high value oils and waxes. The continued characterization of regulatory regions governing the expression of wax synthase homologues in A. thaliana, the characterization of metabolic products produced by identified genes, and continued wax synthesis gene discovery work are the future objectives. This information is disseminated through publications (Klypin and Hanson, 2008) and poster presentations at regional and national scientific meetings. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: Alternative crops for the production of industrial level oils. Environmentally sound. Bioengineering PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Bioinformatics conducted by researchers on this project strongly support an essential component of the eventual success of this proposal, that most plant species do possess the ability to produce high molecular weight waxes similar to jojoba wax. Combined with other observations, research on this project also supports that oilseed crops, in particular conventional oilseed crops such as A. thaliana and other Brassica spp, can be manipulated to efficiently produce high levels of high value waxes by manipulation of their endogenous genes. Contributions to the knowledge base during this award period also include the development of a rapid system for characterization of waxes produced by individual genes. Plants adapted to desert environments produce a variety of novel high value compounds not normally found in high levels in conventional crops. Since efficient production of most desert plants is not practical (native plants like jojoba are not easily domesticated), it is likely that biotech approaches can be used to create conventional oilseed crops that express useful levels of these high value oils and waxes. While the overall goal of this project is ambitious and long term, the impacts of this work will be far reaching.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 07/01/08 to 06/30/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The objective of this research is to apply the techniques of genetic engineering and related developing sciences, such as genomics and proteomics, toward the production of valuable alternative products in established crop plants. The overall goal of this work is to further the understanding of wax ester synthesis in higher plants for the purpose of producing economically relevant quantities of high value / exotic plant waxes in transgenic crop plants. This is an ambitious long term goal, however the specific objectives comprise a straightforward plan for moving toward the long term goal. Outcomes of the first specific objective developing bioinformatics relevant of A. thaliana wax synthase homologues and regulatory sequences -we have performed bioninformatic analysis which shows that many diverse plant species contain multiple homologues of the jojoba wax synthase gene. The list of described plant genes that are related continues to grow as more sequence data becomes available. During the past year additional potential homologues were discovered in more species including castor bean and corn. The identification of wax synthase homologues will remain an ongoing project as additional sequence data is deposited into databases over time. Toward continued characterization of wax synthases in-vivo using over expression approaches, wax synthase homologues are being over expressed in transgenic leaf spots via agroinfiltration as a rapid assay for biochemical activity and determination of wax synthase biochemical properties. Over the years our group has optimized the infiltration technique, contributing to its speed and simplicity. Toward continued characterization of promoters driving expression of epidermis and seed specific A. thaliana a wax synthases, we expect that these experiments will identify novel promoter sequences that confer epidermal and seed specific gene expression. Discovery of novel high activity tissue specific promoters is an obvious target for engineering of plants that produce high value waxes. The outputs of this research have been disseminated at national and international scientific meetings in the form of verbal interaction with other scientists PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
The primary impact of this research is the potential for development of alternative crops for U.S. agriculture for the production of valuable products, especially renewable "green" alternatives that can replace foreign petroleum derived products. The work on this project has contained numerous objectives including development of engineering technologies that allow introduction of multiple genes into transgenic plants in single rounds of transformation, development of systems that enable polycistronic gene expression in plants, and basic studies on function of complex multi-protein membrane bound biosynthetic machinery. Many of these objectives have been satisfactorily completed resulting in successful development of technology necessary to move forward. In light of this, our current work has returned the focus of the project to the characterization of genes involved in the synthesis of high value oil products. In particular, we have begun in depth studies on wax synthases. Considering the importance of wax and wax esters in plant biology and the potential applications from manipulation of these pathways there is ample interest in understanding wax ester synthesis in plants.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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