Researchers engineer plants for optimal biofuel production
University of Missouri-ColumbiaPeer-Reviewed Publication
To meet the increasing global demand for biofuels, scientists are already modifying plant genes to boost the amount of plant oil being produced. That’s because inside the plant, a complex network of metabolic pathways turns sunlight, carbon dioxide (or atmospheric carbon), water and nutrients into vital compounds including oil, the foundational ingredient of biofuel.
Genes give instructions to enzymes, and, in turn, those enzymes help control the plant’s metabolic pathways. But we are only beginning to understand how modifying these genes to produce more oil affects the plant’s other metabolic pathways, which are all interconnected.
In a new study, University of Missouri scientists have charted how plant metabolism responds to these genetic changes. Their findings will provide fellow scientists with clues for how to tweak a plant’s oil production to create the maximum amount of biofuel.
- Journal
- Journal of Proteome Research