Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Dissection of domain function for tandem AP2 plant transcription factors

Berg, Harald LU (2018) KBKM05 20181
Pure and Applied Biochemistry
Computational Chemistry
Abstract
Oils are some of the most energy dense compounds produced in nature and play a vital role in society as a source of food, energy and as raw material in many chemical processes. Plant produced oils (triacylglycerols) are a key asset in the transition away from fossil oils.
The progress made in recent years in molecular biology has greatly increased our understanding of plant oils biosynthesis. However, the regulatory mechanisms are not fully understood. Knowledge about these mechanisms could potentially lead to the development of new high yielding oil crops with tailored oil compositions.
In this report, three related transcription factors associated with oil biosynthesis and embryo development: WRINKLED1 (WRI1), WRINKLED4 (WRI4), and... (More)
Oils are some of the most energy dense compounds produced in nature and play a vital role in society as a source of food, energy and as raw material in many chemical processes. Plant produced oils (triacylglycerols) are a key asset in the transition away from fossil oils.
The progress made in recent years in molecular biology has greatly increased our understanding of plant oils biosynthesis. However, the regulatory mechanisms are not fully understood. Knowledge about these mechanisms could potentially lead to the development of new high yielding oil crops with tailored oil compositions.
In this report, three related transcription factors associated with oil biosynthesis and embryo development: WRINKLED1 (WRI1), WRINKLED4 (WRI4), and BABY BOOM (BBM), are studied for their effect on oil biosynthesis in relation to their structure. To this purpose, two hybrid transcription factors (HTFs) were created by swapping the DNA binding domain of WRI1 with those of BBM and WRI4.
The transcription factors were shown to have highly similar DNA binding domains, but only WRI1, WRI4 and WIR4 HTF induce oil production in leaf tissue.
This report identifies two potential regions within the DNA binding domain that are possible explanations for the difference seen in binding selectivity between the factors. (Less)
Popular Abstract
Our dependence on fossil oil is one of the main problems facing humanity today, alternatives must be developed to stop the record levels of CO2 from rising any higher. But oil is central to so much in society; our transportation, our energy, our food and production of plastics and other materials are all dependant on it.
Plant oil is an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil oil and is therefore an important asset in the shift towards a more sustainable society. However, even with large scale cultivation of oil crops it would be hard to cover the global demand for oil through agricultural means alone. The use of arable land to grow oil crops for industrial purposes also rises an ethical dilemma; should the land be used to produce... (More)
Our dependence on fossil oil is one of the main problems facing humanity today, alternatives must be developed to stop the record levels of CO2 from rising any higher. But oil is central to so much in society; our transportation, our energy, our food and production of plastics and other materials are all dependant on it.
Plant oil is an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil oil and is therefore an important asset in the shift towards a more sustainable society. However, even with large scale cultivation of oil crops it would be hard to cover the global demand for oil through agricultural means alone. The use of arable land to grow oil crops for industrial purposes also rises an ethical dilemma; should the land be used to produce “green” oil or should it instead be used to feed earth's growing population. Consequently, there is a need for sustainably grown, high yielding oil crops that can efficiently use the land they are grown on. Furthermore, the progress seen in molecular biology has made it possible to engineer the composition of oil to better suit the needs of the industry. To this purpose, researchers have studied oil production in plants in order to figure out how to efficiently control it and possibly create new high-yielding oil crops with desirable lipid profiles.
Genetic modification is associated with the transfer of one or a few genes that bestow specific traits upon a target organism. For commercially grown crops that are genetically modified, the chosen genes often code for specific proteins that improve certain properties of the plants. Examples of such properties are protection against pests or pesticides or enzymes which alter specific characteristics of the plant. However, many traits seen in plants are the result of large numbers of genes being regulated simultaneously e.g. oil production. When these traits are the target for modification it is not possible to simply add a gene with the specific trait, instead the expression of a large panel of genes must be altered and this can potentially be done using DNA binding proteins called transcription factors (TFs).
In this report, the function of three similar TFs, WRINKLED1 (WRI1), WRINKLED4 (WRI4), and BABY BOOM (BBM), were studied for their effect on oil biosynthesis. Additionally, two hybrid transcription factors were created that are mixtures of WRI1 and the other two factors.
The results show that WRI1 and WRI4 could makes leaves produce oil but BBM could not, even though the DNA binding regions are very similar. Two potentials sequences within the genes of the TFs that could explain this difference were identified. Hopefully these regions will unlock ways to engineer new and better transcription factors, giving scientist more control over oil production in plants on a genetic level. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Berg, Harald LU
supervisor
organization
course
KBKM05 20181
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Transcription factors, plant oil biosynthesis, transient expression, Nicotiana benthamiana, domain swapping, Apetala 2, AP2, Wrinkled1, WRI1, Wrinkled4, WRI4, Baby Boom, BBM, Arabidopsis thaliana, applied biochemistry, tillämpad biokemi
language
English
id
8950630
date added to LUP
2018-06-27 13:02:01
date last changed
2018-06-27 13:02:01
@misc{8950630,
  abstract     = {{Oils are some of the most energy dense compounds produced in nature and play a vital role in society as a source of food, energy and as raw material in many chemical processes. Plant produced oils (triacylglycerols) are a key asset in the transition away from fossil oils.
The progress made in recent years in molecular biology has greatly increased our understanding of plant oils biosynthesis. However, the regulatory mechanisms are not fully understood. Knowledge about these mechanisms could potentially lead to the development of new high yielding oil crops with tailored oil compositions.
In this report, three related transcription factors associated with oil biosynthesis and embryo development: WRINKLED1 (WRI1), WRINKLED4 (WRI4), and BABY BOOM (BBM), are studied for their effect on oil biosynthesis in relation to their structure. To this purpose, two hybrid transcription factors (HTFs) were created by swapping the DNA binding domain of WRI1 with those of BBM and WRI4.
The transcription factors were shown to have highly similar DNA binding domains, but only WRI1, WRI4 and WIR4 HTF induce oil production in leaf tissue.
This report identifies two potential regions within the DNA binding domain that are possible explanations for the difference seen in binding selectivity between the factors.}},
  author       = {{Berg, Harald}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Dissection of domain function for tandem AP2 plant transcription factors}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}