Abstract

Very long chain primary alcohols are significant components in cuticle waxes of plants. Fatty acyl-CoA reductases (FARs) catalyze the formation of a fatty alcohol from an acyl-CoA. The Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) genome contains eight genes homologous to FAR genes from jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis), silk moth, wheat and mouse. Expression of six Arabidopsis FAR homologs in Escherichia coli resulted in production of alcohols from endogenous E. coli fatty acids by five of these genes, confirming that they encode for FAR enzymes. Only a truncated splicing version of the sixth gene was found, and this gene yielded a protein with no FAR activity. The five functional FAR enzymes yielded distinctly different compositions of fatty alcohols when expressed in E. coli, indicating that the different enzymes may be involved in the production of different types of alcohols in plant cells. (C) 2008 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Fatty acyl-CoA reductase; Fatty alcohol; Jojoba; NAD(P)H; Wax ester

Published in

Journal of Plant Physiology
2009, Volume: 166, number: 8, pages: 787-796
Publisher: ELSEVIER GMBH, URBAN & FISCHER VERLAG

SLU Authors

• Doan, Thuy phuong

  • Department of Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Nong Lam University

• Carlsson, Anders

  • Department of Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Stymne, Sten

  • Department of Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Olsson, Lars Peter

  • Department of Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Lund University

UKÄ Subject classification

Renewable Bioenergy Research
Agricultural Science


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jplph.2008.10.003

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/61243