Efficiency for increasing seed oil content using WRINKLED 1 and DGAT1 under the control of two seed-specific promoters, FAE1 and Napin

Seed storage oils are essential resources for not only human and animal diets but also industrial applications. The primary goal of this study was to increase seed oil content through comparative analysis of two seed-specific promoters, AtFAEJl from Arabidopsis Fatty Acid Elongase 1 gene and BnNapin from Brassica napus seed storage protein gene. AtWRIl and AIDGATI genes encoding an AP2-type transcription factor and a Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase 1 enzyme, respectively, were expressed under the control of AtFAE1 and BnNapin promoters in Arabidopsis. The total seed oil content in all transgenic plants was increased by 8-11% compared with wild-type seeds. The increased level of oil content in AtWRIl and AtDCIAT1 transgenic lines under the control of both promoters was similar, although the activity of the BnNapin promoter is much stronger than that ofAtFAE1 promoter in the mature stage of developing seeds where storage oil biosynthesis occurs at a maximum rate. This result demonstrates that the AtFAE1 promoter as well as the BnNapin promoter can be used to increase the seed oil content in transgenic plants.