title: Synthesis of high-molecular-weight poly([R]-(-)-3-hydroxybutyrate) in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plant cells.
abstract: High-molecular-weight poly([R]-(-)-3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), a biodegradable thermoplastic, was produced from a suspension culture of transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plant cells expressing two genes from the bacterium Alcaligenes eutrophus involved in the synthesis of PHB. The molecular structure of the plant-produced polymer was analysed by gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, infra-red spectroscopy, spectropolarimetry, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction and size exclusion chromatography. The results indicate that the polymer from transgenic plants appears to have a chemical structure identical to that of PHB produced by bacteria. However, the molecular weight distribution of the plant-produced PHB was much broader than that of typical bacterial PHB.
authors.affiliation: Carnegie Institution of Washington, Department of Plant Biology, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Poirier
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Somerville
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Schechtman
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Satkowski
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Noda
mesh_terms: D000421:Alcaligenes / Q000235:genetics; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006885:Hydroxybutyrates / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D015394:Molecular Structure; D008970:Molecular Weight; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction; D000094122:Polyhydroxybutyrates
chemical_list: D006885:Hydroxybutyrates; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D011091:Polyesters; C003182:poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate; D000094122:Polyhydroxybutyrates