Exploiting Natural Variation to Uncover an Alkene Biosynthetic Enzyme in Poplar
[1];
[2];
[3];
[3]
- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada). Department of Wood Science; University of British Columbia, Canada
- Agricultural Research Council, Onderstepoort, Pretoria (South Africa). Biotechnology Platform
- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada). Department of Wood Science
- U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Corn and Soybean Research, Wooster, OH (United States)
Alkenes are linear hydrocarbons with one or more double bonds. Despite their potential as biofuels and precursors for specialty chemicals, the underlying biochemistry and genetics of alkene biosynthesis in plants remain elusive. Here, we report on a screen of natural accessions of poplar (Populus trichocarpa), revealing that the leaf cuticular waxes are predominantly composed of alkanes and alkenes. Interestingly, the accumulation of alkenes increases with leaf development, is limited to the abaxial side of the leaf, and is impaired in a few accessions. Among other genes, a b-ketoacyl CoA synthase gene (PotriKCS1) was downregulated in leaves from non-alkene-producing accessions. We demonstrated biochemically that PotriKCS1 elongates monounsaturated fatty acids and is responsible for the recruitment of unsaturated substrates to the cuticular wax. Moreover, we found significant associations between the presence of alkenes and tree growth and resistance to leaf spot. These findings highlight the crucial role of cuticular waxes as the first point of contact with the environment, and they provide a foundation for engineering long-chain monounsaturated oils in other species.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER) (SC-23)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- FC02-07ER64494
- OSTI ID:
- 1427575
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1573090
- Journal Information:
- Plant Cell, Journal Name: Plant Cell Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 29; ISSN 1040-4651
- Publisher:
- American Society of Plant BiologistsCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Understanding the Role of Populus ECERIFERUM2-Likes in the Biosynthesis of Very-Long-Chain Fatty Acids for Cuticular Waxes
An Integrated Functional Genomics Consortium to Increase Carbon Sequestration in Poplars: Optimizing Aboveground Carbon Gain