Acyl-CoA: diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1-like gene (
An isolated protein which is at least partially encoded by a polynucleotide sequence encoding a novel acyl-CoA: diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1-like gene (PtDGAT1) from the diatom Phaeodactylum tricomutum is provided together with a composition which includes the isolated protein and a transgenic organism transformed by a polynucleotide encoding same. The invention also provides a method for producing or enhancing the production of oil or triacylglycerols with high saturated fatty acids content.
1. An isolated polynucleotide comprising a cDNA coding portion encoding a Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase protein comprising the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1.
2. An isolated polynucleotide comprising a cDNA coding portion of claim 1 encoding a Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase, comprising the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 3.
3. An isolated polynucleotide comprising a cDNA coding portion of claim 1 encoding a Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase, comprising the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 4.
4. A composition comprising the polynucleotide of claim 1 and a carrier.
5. An expression vector comprising the polynucleotide of claim 1 .
6. A cell comprising the expression vector of claim 5 .
7. A transgenic organism or a transformed bacteria transformed by the polynucleotide of claim 1 .
8. The organism of claim 7 , wherein said organism is a plant, a seed, a heterotrophic microorganism, a bacterium, a yeast, a microalga, or an alga.
9. A transgenic seed, produced by a transgenic plant transformed by the polynucleotide of claim 1 .
10. A method for enhancing the production of oil or triacylglycerols with high saturated fatty acids content in a cell, comprising the step of transforming said cell with a polynucleotide of claim 1 , thereby enhancing a production of oil or triacylglycerols with high saturated fatty acids content in a cell.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein said cell is a plant cell, a seed cell, a heterotrophic microorganism cell, a bacterium, a yeast, a microalgal cell, or an algal cell.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein said algal or microalgal cell is grown under nitrogen starvation conditions.
13. A method of increasing the proportion of a saturated fatty acid in a cell, comprising the step of transforming said cell with a polynucleotide of claim 1 , thereby increasing the proportion of a saturated fatty acid in a cell.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein said increasing the proportion of a saturated fatty acid comprises decreasing the proportion of an unsaturated fatty acid.
15. The method of claim 13 , wherein said cell is a plant cell, a seed cell, a heterotrophic microorganism cell, a bacterium, a yeast, a microalgal cell, or an algal cell.
16. The method of claim 14 , wherein said algal or microalgal cell is grown under nitrogen starvation conditions.
17. The method of claim 13 , wherein said saturated fatty acid is 16:0 or 18:0.
18. The method of claim 14 , wherein said unsaturated fatty acid is 16:1 or 18:1.