Metabolic Engineering of Lipids in Plants

Metabolic engineering is the culmination of chemical engineering, computational sciences, biochemistry and molecular biology which aids in the ambitious alteration of metabolic pathways. Such purposeful genetic modifications are required for further understanding and fruitful utilisation of the several biosynthetic pathways. Lipid is an important biomolecule with varied uses in the industrial sector as well as in the human diet chart. In the industrial sector, lipids are required in huge supplies for terpenes, paints, lubricants, octene, sandalwood oil, waxes, hydrocarbon-rich biofuel, biodiesel and bioplastics. The oils found in fishes, like the very long chain fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid etc.) are essential dietary components. The petroselinic acid and peppermint oil also have potential usages as raw materials for the manufacturing of end products in the market. Targeting of transcription factors in the biosynthetic pathways to enhance lipid accumulation is now being designed in transgenic plants. Metabolic engineering of these lipids in transgenic plant systems allows higher accumulation of target products in the plant tissues. This leads to the overproduction of essential components in a highly cost-effective manner. Such manufacturing processes are adopted to pursue sustainable development and green chemistry, circumventing the ethical issues and environmental hazards. In this review, we present a detailed analysis of the gradual as well as the most recent advances in metabolic engineering of plant lipids in tandem with the several cross-talks present in the biosynthetic pathways of lipid production, along with the adaptive evolutionary patterns in seed oils.