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SUMMARY:Identification and characterisation of triacylglycerol biosynthesi
 s genes in Phaeodactylum tricornutum - Jit Ern Chen
DTSTART:20120531T150000Z
DTEND:20120531T153000Z
UID:TALK36387@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Suzy Stoodley
DESCRIPTION:Algal biofuels are considered to be a major potential source o
 f renewable energy in the future\, specifically for biodiesel production. 
 Of the various types of molecules that can be used as biofuels\, biodiesel
  stands out as the best candidate for mass production\, taking into accoun
 t our current internal combustion engine technology and energy distributio
 n infrastructure. Biodiesel can be synthesized via the transesterification
  of triacylglycerols (TAGs)\, and although there has been much research in
 to the environment and growth factors that control the production of TAGs 
 in algae\, little is known about the genes and proteins that make up the b
 iosynthesis pathway in different algal species.My project is to identify a
 nd characterize the genes that catalyse the final step in TAG biosynthesis
  in several different algal species\, with my primary focus being on Phaeo
 dactylum tricornutum\, a marine diatom that has been identified as a very 
 good candidate for mass production of algal biodiesel. One of the enzymes 
 that catalyses the final step in TAG biosynthesis in all eukaryotes is kno
 wn as diacylglycerol acyltransferase type-2 (DGAT2). While the vast majori
 ty of higher plants\, animals and yeast possess only one copy of the DGAT2
  gene\, I have found that the majority of algal species encode between two
  and five putative DGAT2s. These putative DGAT2s are not the result of rec
 ent gene duplications since amino acid similarity algorithms indicate that
  the algal DGAT2s within the same species are less related to each other t
 han they are to higher plant or opisthokont DGAT2s\,which form two clear a
 nd distinct phylogeny clades. I have cloned the five DGAT2 isoforms from P
 . tricornutum and have successfully shown that at least one isoform can re
 scue the TAG-less phenotype of a yeast mutant that is completely deficient
  in TAG production when expressed under the control of the GAL promoter. 
LOCATION:Department of Plant Sciences\, Large Lecture Theatre
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