Researchers engineer tobacco leaves to enhance biofuel production

Eco Factor: Engineered tobacco leaves to produce more biofuel.

Researchers at the Biotechnology Foundations Laboratories at Thomas Jefferson University have found out a way to increase biofuel production from tobacco plants by engineering two genes, which increase the oil in tobacco leaves.

The researchers have identified two genes - the diacyglycerol acytransferase (DGAT) gene and the LEAFY COTYLEDON 2 gene. Plants modified to over-express these genes produce more oil. While a typical tobacco plant contains about 1.7% to 4% of oil per dry weight, engineered plants carry about 6.8% of oil, which can be converted into biofuel