Broad Audience Title

Improving efficiency and viability of biofuels

Scientific Title

Metabolic Engineering of Camelina sativa for Improved TAG Synthesis

By Ben Chilcoat
Renewable Energy
iCons Year 4
2016
Executive Summary 

Camelina sativa is non-food oilseed crop that has received a lot of attention for its potential as a biofuel crop. Camelina has a short growing season and high oil and protein content, all traits that make it ideal for biofuel use. By bioengineering metabolic pathways involved in lipid synthesis, the goal is to create a sink for carbon towards the production of more triacylglycerol's (TAG) in seeds. This research involves engineering Camelina with three genes, individually and stacked, that control the rate-limiting steps for TAG biosynthesis. Through seed, oil, and gene expression analysis it can be determined if the genetically modified lines differ from wild type in there ability to produce higher levels of TAG and total oil accumulation in seeds.

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