Molecular genetical study on oil body biogenesis

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24657039
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Plant molecular biology/Plant physiology
• Research Institution: Nagahama Institute of Bio-Science and Technology (2013-2014); National Institute for Basic Biology (2012)
• Principal Investigator: HAYASHI Makoto 長浜バイオ大学, バイオサイエンス学部, 教授 (50212155)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 種子 / オルガネラ / オイルボディ / オレオシン / 植物油脂 / バイオ燃料 / バイオディーゼル / バイオマス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Oil body is a plant organelle that exists in cells of fatty seed. It accumulates triacylglycerol. Aim of this research is to identify genes involved in biogenesis of the oil body, and to reveal function of the gene product. I established transgenic Arabidopsis expressing a fusion protein composed of oleosin, an oil body membrane protein, and GFP. This transgenic plant was used to develop live-imaging technique to visualize oil body in cells of living plant. Using this technique, seven mutants with aberrant morphology of oil body have been isolated. Of these, two mutants were precisely analyzed. It allowed identification of two genes responsible for these mutants and characterization of the gene products. Map-base cloning of genes responsible for the rest of mutants is under investigation.

Free Research Field

植物細胞生物学