Executive Summary : | Very long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) are essential biomolecules produced by all plant species, playing roles in growth and developmental processes. In some plant species, VLCFAs are precursors of specialized metabolites synthesized in specific cells and tissues. The fatty acid elongation complex, consisting of four core enzymes, adds two carbon units to the growing acyl chain to produce VLCFAs. Studies in Arabidopsis thaliana revealed that three of the four enzymes act as generalists to synthesize VLCFAs, while the fourth component, ketoacyl-CoA synthase (KCS), provides substrate specificity and determines the amount of product biosynthesized by the enzyme complex. In Indian mustard seeds, VLCFAs are produced by the catalytic action of FAE1, with two alleles of FAE1 genes. Research has focused on the negative effects of VLCFAs in mustard oil for human consumption. The research group attempted to address this issue by knocking down and knocking out BjFAE1 in autologous hosts. However, these mutant lines showed bolder/bigger seed size and early maturing phenotypes. Future research is needed to understand the unclear regulatory and physiological roles of VLCFAs in conjunction with phytohormones. The proposed project aims to conduct detailed and comparative analyses at the whole plant phenotypic level, tissue/seed-specific anatomical, biochemical, and molecular level analyses in wild-type, FAE1-knockdown, and FAE1-knockout lines. |