Scientists Identify Enzyme that Could Accelerate Biofuel Production
August 22, 2018| |
Researchers at the Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) have identified an enzyme from the glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) family as a promising target for increasing biofuel production from the red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae.
Algae store large amounts of oils called triacylglycerols (TAGs) under adverse conditions. This mechanism has caught the interest of the biotechnology sector as TAGs can be converted to biodiesel. A study led by Sousuke Imamura at Tokyo Tech's Laboratory for Chemistry and Life Science has shown that the enzyme GPAT1 plays an important role in TAG accumulation in C. merolae even under normal growth conditions. The research team found that TAG production could be increased by more 56 times in a C. merolae strain overexpressing GPAT1, without any negative effects on algal growth.
More details are available in Tokyo Tech News.
| |
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- Scientists Release Fully Annotated Wheat Reference Genome
- Nigeria's Federal High Court Ruling Permits Bt Cotton Commercialization
- Researchers Use Wheat's Bacterial Partners to Fight A Pathogen
- Scientists Identify Enzyme that Could Accelerate Biofuel Production
- CSIRO Works on Next Generation Synthetic-Like Cotton
- Filipino Farmer-leaders Show Support for Biotech Crops
- Biotech Players Discuss Biodiversity Agreements and Protocols
-
Research Highlights
- Scientists Determine the Genomic Predictability of 25 Agronomic and Quality Traits in Alfalfa
-
Beyond Crop Biotech
- Gene Editing Technique Used to Develop Spider Silk-producing Silkworm
- African Biosafety Leadership Summit Tackles Gene Drive Technology
- India Starts Research on GE Mosquitoes to Combat Dengue
-
From the BICs
- Short Course Exposes Asian Stakeholders to Agri-biotech Communication
-
Announcements
- Crop Innovations and Regulations Conference
-
Resources
- EuropaBio Brochure Tackles EU Protein Gap, Trade, and GMOs
- Video: Saving the Orange
-
Plant
- Scientists Update on CRISPR Utility for Crop Improvement
- CRISPR-Cas9 Used to Knockout Genes for Pollen Tube Growth
- CRISPR-Cpf1 Used in Targeted Gene Replacement in Rice
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (April 17, 2024)
- Gene Editing Supplement (April 10, 2024)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet