title: Production of novel biopolymers in plants: recent technological advances and future prospects.
abstract: The production of novel biopolymers in plants has the potential to provide renewable sources of industrial materials through agriculture. In this review we will highlight recent progress with plant-based production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), silk, elastin, collagen, and cyanophycin with an emphasis on the synthesis of poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate] (PHB), a renewable biodegradable PHA polymer with potential commercial applications in plastics, chemicals, and feed markets. Improved production of PHB has required manipulation of promoters driving expression of transgenes, reduction in activity of endogenous enzymes in competing metabolic pathways, insertion of genes to increase carbon flow to polymer, and basic plant biochemistry to understand metabolic limitations. These experiments have increased our understanding of carbon availability and partitioning in different plant organelles, cell types, and organs, information that is useful for the production of other novel molecules in plants.
authors.affiliation: Metabolix Inc, 21 Erie Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. Electronic address: snell@metabolix.com.
authors.forename: Kristi D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Snell
authors.affiliation: University of North Texas, Department of Biological Sciences, 1155 Union Circle, #305220 Life Sciences A254, Denton, TX 76203, USA.
authors.forename: Vijay
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: University of North Texas, Department of Biological Sciences, 1155 Union Circle, #305220 Life Sciences A254, Denton, TX 76203, USA. Electronic address: stevens.brumbley@unt.edu.
authors.forename: Stevens M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Brumbley
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001704:Biopolymers / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D010944:Plants / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000091402:Prohibitins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D001704:Biopolymers; C000717328:PHB protein, human; D000091402:Prohibitins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins