GENE INVOLVING SYNTHESIS OF MEDIUM-CHAIN FATTY ACID IN CUPHEA PLANT

摘要

PURPOSE: To obtain a new gene coding for an acyl-ACP-thioesterase having a specific amino acid sequence, derived from a Cuphea plant, to be used for producing an enzyme as a key for synthesizing medium-chain fatty acids useful for medicines and foods, etc. ;CONSTITUTION: This new gene codes for an acyl-ACP-thioesterase having an amino acid sequence of the formula, being derived from a kind of Cuphea plant, and useful for producing medium-chain fatty acids by temperate crops through introducing the above enzyme as a key for synthesizing such fatty acids useful for medicines and foods by genetic engineering technique. This gene is obtained by the following process: an mRNA is separated by a conventional means from the unmatured seeds of Cuphea leptopoda Hemsl., a kind of temperate plant belonging to Lythrum anceps Makino, a cDNA is synthesized with the mRNA as template, and the cDNA is then cloned with a primer consisting of part of an acyl-ACP-thioesterase gene.;COPYRIGHT: (C)1996,JPO