PLANT ACYL ACP THIOESTERASE SEQUENCES

摘要

This invention relates to plant thioesterases, specifically plant acyl-ACP thioesterases having substantial activity on palmitoyl-ACP substrates. DNA constructs useful for the expression of a plant palmitoyl-ACP thioesterase in a plant seed cell are described. Such constructs will contain a DNA sequence encoding the plant palmitoyl-ACP thioesterase of interest under the control of regulatory elements capable of preferentially directing the expression of the plant palmitoyl-ACP thioesterase in seed tissue, as compared with other plant tissues, when such a construct is expressed in a transgenic plant. This invention also relates to methods of using a DNA sequence encoding a plant palmitoyl-ACP thioesterase for the modification of the proportion of free fatty acids produced in a plant seed cell. Plant palmitoyl-ACP thioesterase sequences exemplified herein include Cuphea, leek, mango and elm. Transgenic plants having increased levels of C16:0 fatty acids in their seeds as the result of expression of these palmitoyl-ACP thioesterase sequences are also provided.