Processes for producing polyhydroxybutyrate and related polyhydroxyalkanoates in the plastids of higher plants

• Main Authors: CHRISTOPHER ROLAND SOMERVILLE, YVES POIRIER, CHRISTIANE NAWRATH
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 13.08.1999
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: AGRICULTURE; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; BEER; BIOCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; CULTURE MEDIA; ENZYMOLOGY; FERMENTATION OR ENZYME-USING PROCESSES TO SYNTHESISE A DESIREDCHEMICAL COMPOUND OR COMPOSITION OR TO SEPARATE OPTICAL ISOMERSFROM A RACEMIC MIXTURE; FISHING; FORESTRY; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HUNTING; MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED OTHERWISE THAN BY REACTIONSONLY INVOLVING UNSATURATED CARBON-TO-CARBON BONDS; METALLURGY; MICROBIOLOGY; MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; NEW PLANTS OR PROCESSES FOR OBTAINING THEM; ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; PLANT REPRODUCTION BY TISSUE CULTURE TECHNIQUES; PROCESSES USING MICROORGANISMS; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; SPIRITS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; TRAPPING; VINEGAR; WINE

The present invention relates to a process for producing poly-D-(-)-3-hydroxybutyric acid (PHB) and related polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) in the plastids of plants. The production of PHB is accomplished by genetically transforming plants with modified genes from microorganisms. The genes encode the enzymes required to synthesize PHB from acetyl-CoA or related metabolites and are fused with additional plant sequences for targeting the enzymes to the plastid.