title: Biochemistry of high stearic sunflower, a new source of saturated fats.
abstract: Fats based on stearic acid could be a healthier alternative to existing oils especially hydrogenated fractions of oils or palm, but only a few non-tropical species produce oils with these characteristics. In this regard, newly developed high stearic oil seed crops could be a future source of fats and hard stocks rich in stearic and oleic fatty acids. These oil crops have been obtained either by breeding and mutagenesis or by suppression of desaturases using RNA interference. The present review depicts the molecular and biochemical bases for the accumulation of stearic acid in sunflower. Moreover, aspects limiting the accumulation of stearate in the seeds of this species are reviewed. This included data obtained from the characterization of genes and enzymes related to fatty acid biosynthesis and triacylglycerol assembly. Future improvements and uses of these oils are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de la Grasa, Av. Padre García Tejero, 4, 41012 Sevilla, Spain. Electronic address: jjsalas@cica.es.
authors.forename: Joaquín J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Salas
authors.affiliation: Instituto de la Grasa, Av. Padre García Tejero, 4, 41012 Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martínez-Force
authors.affiliation: Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, P.O. Box 911, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK.
authors.forename: John L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Harwood
authors.affiliation: Instituto de la Grasa, Av. Padre García Tejero, 4, 41012 Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: Mónica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Venegas-Calerón
authors.affiliation: Instituto de la Grasa, Av. Padre García Tejero, 4, 41012 Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: Jose Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Aznar-Moreno
authors.affiliation: Abengoa S.A. Centro Tecnológico Palmas Altas, c/Energía solar 1, Polígono Palmas Altas, 41014 Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: Antonio J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Moreno-Pérez
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Producción Animal, E.T.S.I. Agrónomos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Noemí
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ruíz-López
authors.affiliation: Heptares Therapeutics, BioPark, Broadwater Road, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire AL7 3AX, UK.
authors.forename: María J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Serrano-Vega
authors.affiliation: Centre for Novel Agricultural Products, Department of Biology, University of York, York YO10 5YW, UK.
authors.forename: Ian A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
authors.forename: Robert T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Mullen
authors.affiliation: Instituto de la Grasa, Av. Padre García Tejero, 4, 41012 Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Garcés
mesh_terms: D000217:Acyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D006368:Helianthus / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D018087:Plastids / Q000378:metabolism; D013229:Stearic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D013229:Stearic Acids; C031183:stearic acid; D000217:Acyltransferases
keywords: Helianthus annuus (sunflower); High stearic acid mutants; Lipid metabolism; Oil crops; Regulation of stearate levels