Technologies Available for License

2014-029: Engineering oil production in vegetative tissues of plant

Invention: 2014-041

Patent Status: U.S. Patent Number 9,593,344 was issued on March 14, 2017

For technical and licensing related questions, email tcp@bnl.gov.

Summary

Even though most plant cells have the capacity to synthesize triacylglycerols (TAGs), they do not accumulate significant amount of oil. This is due to the rapid turnover of the plant vegetative tissue and the accompanying use of fatty acids for membrane construction, thereby limiting the synthesis of TAGs. The technology described below blocks TAG turnover and increases fatty acid synthesis to enhance TAG accumulation in vegetative tissues of plants.

Description

Describes genetically engineered plants belonging to Arabidopsis thaliana, Beta vulgaris, Brassica napus, miscanthus, camellina, switchgrass, corn, sugarcane, sorghum, Sacharum spontaneum, soybean, sunflower, cotton, or duckweeds with five percent or more of dry weight triacylglycerol (TAG) compounds. In the altered plants the gene encoding a trigalactosyldiacylglycerol (TGD) protein is mutated and either a gene encoding a sugar dependent 1 (SDP1) triacylglycerol lipase is mutated or a gene encoding a peroxisomal transporter 1 (PXA1) protein is mutated, or both. The mutations significantly inactivate the proteins mutated.

Journal Publication & Intellectual Property

• US 9,593,344 B2 (.pdf)