Improvement of J. curcas oil by genetic transformation

Abstract

The demand for biodiesel has soared along with government subsidies and mandates for sustainable energy. The quality and performance of biodiesel depends on the composition of the fatty acids present in the oil as it has a direct impact on the ignition quality, heat of combustion, flow at low temperature and oxidative stability. The oil extracted from Jatropha curcas seeds has been used by many countries as a biodiesel feedstock. To have good oxidative stability and flow properties under low temperature, biodiesel needs more monounsaturated fatty acids (oleic and palmitoleic acids), less polyunsaturated acids and less saturated acids. New insights into genes of Jatropha oil biosynthesis and metabolism as well as of transcriptional control are beginning to unfold biotechnological enhancement of oil content and quality by direct genetic engineering. To minimize unwanted effects at whole plant level, precise control of gene targeting will be needed. The deletion of antibiotic selection marker from the transgenic plants will also further increase the public acceptance of transgenenesis. In this review, we focus on the strategies and genes that have been successfully applied to the genetic engineering of oil fatty acids. We also discussed interspecific breeding, useful gene resources and new strategies for improving the properties of biodiesel and jet biofuel from Jatropha.