Acyl CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase related nucleic acid sequences
View Patent ↗By this invention, novel nucleic acid sequences encoding for acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) related proteins are provided, wherein said ACAT-like protein is active in the formation of a sterol ester and/or triacylylgycerol from a fatty acyl-CoA and sterol and/or diacylglycerol substrates. Also considered are amino acid and nucleic acid sequences obtainable from ACAT-like nucleic acid sequences and the use of such sequences to provide transgenic host cells capable of producing sterol esters and/or triacylglycerols.
1. A method of modifying the lipid composition in a plant cell, said method comprising:
transforming a plant cell with a recombinant DNA construct comprising a DNA sequence of SEQ ID NO 16;
growing said cell under conditions wherein transcription of said DNA sequence is initiated,
whereby said lipid composition is modified.
2. The method according to claim 1 , whereby the synthesis of triglycerides is increased in said plant cell.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said plant cell is selected from the group consisting of Brassica , corn, soybean, safflower, alfalfa, and sunflower.
4. A method of modifying the lipid composition in a plant cell, said method comprising:
transforming a plant cell with a recombinant DNA construct that encodes a protein comprising an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 17;
growing said cell under conditions wherein said protein is expressed,
whereby said lipid composition is modified.
5. The method according to claim 4 , whereby the synthesis of triglycerides is increased in said plant cell.
6. The method according to claim 4 , wherein said plant cell is selected from the group consisting of Brassica , corn, soybean, safflower, alfalfa, and sunflower.
7. An isolated nucleic acid molecule comprising the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 16.
8. An isolated nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence that encodes a polypeptide comprising SEQ ID NO: 17.
9. A recombinant nucleic acid construct comprising a nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 16.
10. A recombinant nucleic acid construct comprising a nucleic acid sequence that encodes a protein comprising an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 17.
11. The method according to claim 1 , whereby the quantity of triglycerides is increased by more than 10 fold in said plant cell.
12. The method according to claim 4 , whereby the quantity of triglycerides is increased by more than 10 fold in said plant cell.
13. The recombinant nucleic acid construct of claim 9 , comprising a promoter functional in plant cells operably linked to a nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 16 in antisense orientation.
14. The recombinant nucleic acid construct of claim 10 , comprising a promoter functional in plant cells operably linked to a nucleic acid sequence that encodes a protein comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 17, wherein said nucleic acid sequence that encodes a protein comprising an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 17 is in antisense orientation.