A method of producing a lipid, containing the following steps (1) and (2); and a transformant obtained by introducing a gene encoding the following protein (a) or (b) into a host: (1) introducing a gene encoding the following protein (a) or (b) into a host, and thereby obtaining a transformant, and (2) collecting a lipid from the resulting transformant:
(a) A protein consisting of an amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1; and
(b) A protein consisting of an amino acid sequence having 60% or more identity with the amino acid sequence of the protein (a), and having -ketoacyl-ACP synthase activity.

The present invention relates to variant thioesterases and their use in plants, e.g., to increase enzymatic activity and to promote increased production of mid-chain length fatty acids (e.g., 8 to 14 carbons) and at desired ratios. Further disclosed herein are methods of manufacturing renewable chemicals through the manufacture of novel triglyceride oils followed by chemical modification of the oils. Oils containing fatty acid chain lengths of C8, C10, C12 or C14 are also disclosed and are useful as feedstocks in the methods described herein.

Soybean oil compositions with unique fatty acid profiles are disclosed. These oils can be derived by the suppression of endogenous soybean FAD2 and FAD3 genes and the expression of a stearoyl acyl ACP thioesterase. Soybean plants and seeds comprising these oils are also disclosed.

Recombinant microbes comprising a novel pathway for producing fatty acid derivatives, such as fatty acid methyl esters, fatty acid ethyl esters, fatty alcohols, and fatty alcohol acetates, while generating low levels of 3-hydroxy fatty acid byproducts are provided herein. The addition of a heterologous R-3-hydroxy-acyl-CoA dehydratase or a heterologous R-specific enoyl-CoA hydratase and optionally a heterologous trans-2-enoyl-CoA reductase to a recombinant microbe reduces the amount of 3-hydroxy fatty acid byproducts produced by the acyl-ACP dependent fatty acid biosynthesis pathway of the recombinant microbe. Methods of producing the fatty acid derivatives are also provided, in addition to cell cultures and fatty acid derivative compositions produced by the recombinant microbes. The fatty acid derivatives produced by the recombinant microbes may be used to produce fragrances, pheromones, pharmaceutical agents, nutraceuticals or precursors thereof.

Provided herein are triglyceride oil compositions enriched in ricinoleic acid. Further provided herein are methods of producing non-naturally occurring triglyceride oil compositions enriched in ricinoleic acid from non-naturally occurring microorganisms and applications thereof in a variety of end products, including, for example, polyols, polyurethane products, lubricants, personal care products, and food products.

This disclosure describes transgenic plants engineered for enhanced amounts of fatty acids and triacylglycerols (TAGs) in vegetative tissues. This document describes novel approaches to develop biomass crops, such as Sorghum, for production of vegetative sources of vegetable oils in leaves and stems as alternative renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) feedstocks. A new approach is described for engineering high vegetative oil production that involves expression of variant medium-chain fatty acid acyl-acyl carrier protein (AGP) thioesterases to drive vegetable oil production. This approach has been shown to be effective with two different acyl-ACP thioesterases, and the high oil production is maintained over multiple genetic generations in greenhouse and field cultivation systems.

The present disclosure relates, in part, to microbial hosts capable of synthesizing cis-3-hexenol, cis-3-hexenal, trans-3-hexenol, trans-3-hexenal, trans-2-hexenal, cis-2-hexenal and related compounds from hexanoic acid and methods for the preparation of cis-3-hexenol, cis-3-hexenal, trans-3-hexenol, trans-3-hexenal, trans-2-hexenal, cis-2-hexenal and related compounds.

A method of modifying fatty acid profiles of canola (Brassica napus) oil are provided. In some embodiments, the method comprises providing a canola plant having a genetic construct in its genome, the genetic construct comprising coding sequences for Umbellularia californica C12:0 specific acyl-ACP thioesterase and Cinnamomum camphora C14:0 specific acyl-ACP thioesterase operatively linked to seed specific promoters. Also provided are genetically modified canola plants, plant cells, and seeds as well as canola oil extracted therefrom. The canola oils have a balanced fatty acid profile that provides health benefits as well as improved oxidative stability over conventional canola oils.

The present invention provides an enzyme useful for establishing an excellent N-acyl-amino group-containing compound production system, and the like. More specifically, the present invention provides a modified enzyme comprising: (A) a modified amino acid sequence consisting of an amino acid sequence comprising mutations of one or more certain amino acid residues in an amino acid sequence of a wild type enzyme having an N-acylation activity; (B) an amino acid sequence comprising substitution, deletion, insertion, or addition of one or several additional amino acid residues in the modified amino acid sequence; or (C) an amino acid sequence comprising additional mutations of one or more amino acid residues in the modified amino acid sequence and having 90% or more identity to the modified amino acid sequence, having an N-acylation activity, and having an improved N-acylation activity to L-glutamic acid or L-aspartic acid or an improved substrate specificity to L-glutamic acid as compared with the wild type enzyme, and the like.

Methods to produce oils with modified profiles of fatty acid, carotenoids and/or terpenoids in microalgal mutants are provided. Microalgal mutants produce the oil containing fatty acids, carotenoids and/or terpenoids of a modified profile with a disruption or ablation of one or more alleles of an endogenous polynucleotide or comprising an exogeneous gene are also provided.