Method of producing fatty acids or lipids containing fatty acids using thioesterase variants

摘要

A method of producing a fatty acid or a lipid containing a fatty acid, using a thioesterase variant having an amino acid sequence in which the 231st amino acid is substituted from threonine to lysine in the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1; and a transformant obtained by introducing a gene that encodes the thioesterase variant which transformant has an enhanced ability to produce a fatty acid or a lipid containing a fatty acid.

主权项

1. A method of producing a fatty acid or a lipid containing a fatty acid, comprising;
i, introducing a gene that encodes any one of the thioesterase variants of the following (a) to (d) into a plant as a hast; ii. obtaining a transformed plant in which the total fatty acid content in the plant's seeds is enhanced as compared to that in seeds from the same plant transformed with wild-type thioesterase having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1; and iii. collecting a fatty acid, or a lipid containing a fatty acid, from the seeds of the transformed plant thus obtained, wherein said thioesterase variants are selected from the group consisting of (a) a thioesterase variant comprising the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1, except that the 231st amino acid of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 is substituted from threonine to lysine; (b) a thioesterase variant as in part (a) but also comprising one to ten amino acids other than the 231st amino acid of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: I that are deleted, substituted, inserted and/or added in the amino acid sequence of the variant of part (a); (c) a thioesterase variant comprising the amino acid sequence set forth in the 84th to 382nd amino acids of the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1 except that the amino acid at position 231 in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 is substituted from threonine to lysine; and (d) a thioesterase variant as in part (c) but also comprising one to ten amino acids other than the 231st amino acid that are deleted, substituted, inserted and/or added in the amino acid sequence of the variant of part (c).