HYDROXYLATED FATTY ACIDS (HFA) ARE NATURAL BIOPRODUCTS THAT HAVE IMPORTANT INDUSTRIAL USES AS FEEDSTOCKS TO PRODUCE RESINS, LUBRICANTS, PLASTICS, BIODEGRADABLE POLYESTERS, COATINGS, ANY MANY MORE. HFA ALSO HAVE VARIOUS USES IN THE COSMETIC AND PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES. FOR MANY APPLICATIONS HFA ARE A RENEWABLE REPLACEMENT TO PETROLEUM BASED FEEDSTOCKS. THE MAJOR SOURCE OF HFA IS CASTOR SEEDS, WHICH DUE TO TOXICITY OF SEED PROTEINS IS LIMITED FOR PRODUCTION IN THE US. THE NON-TOXIC CASTOR OIL IS MOSTLY IMPORTED INTO THE US FROM INDIA, AND HAS A MARKET VALUE OF $993 MILLION (2017). PHYSARIA FENDLERI NATIVE TO THE SOUTHWEST US PRODUCES OIL WITH >60% HFA. PHYSARIA IS NONTOXIC, GROWS ON MARGINAL LANDS, CAN BE USED AS WINTER ROTATION/COVER CROP, AND IS AN EMERGING DOMESTIC SOURCE OF HFA. HOWEVER, ENHANCEMENT OF DOMESTIC HFA SOURCES THROUGH PHYSARIA BREEDING, OR ENGINEERING OF OTHER OILSEEDS IS HAMPERED BY THE LACK OF MOLECULAR KNOWLEDGE ON HFA ACCUMULATION IN SEED OILS. OUR RECENT METABOLIC FLUX ANALYSIS OF PHYSARIA SEED OIL BIOSYNTHESIS INDICATED A NOVEL TRIACYLGLYCEROL (TAG) REMODELING PATHWAY FOR HFA ACCUMULATION. WHEN COMBINED WITH TRANSCRIPTOMIC RESOURCES, WE IDENTIFIED GENE CANDIDATES THAT MAY CONTROL THIS NOVEL PATHWAY. OUR OBJECTIVES ARE: (1) BIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF CANDIDATE GENES THROUGH ENZYME ASSAYS, AND PROTEIN-PROTEIN INTERACTION; (2) IDENTIFY IN PLANTA ROLES OF CANDIDATE GENES DIRECTLY IN PHYSARIA BY GENE EXPRESSION KNOCKDOWNS; (3) ENGINEER TAG REMODELING INTO THE INDUSTRIAL PLATFORM CROP CAMELINA SATIVA FOR ACCUMULATION NOVEL OIL COMPOSITIONS. THIS WORK WILL SUPPORT THE GOAL OF PRODUCING VALUABLE PLANT OIL BASED BIOPRODUCTS THROUGH THE CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF NEW CROPS, PHYSARIA AND/OR ENGINEERED CAMELINA.

Washington State University, Pullman WA

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