Geness for degradation of storage oil and their application to oil biotechnology

cDNAs for long- and short-chain acyl-CoA oxidases in fatty acid $\beta$-oxidation were isolated and were characterized their enzymatical and molecular properties. Both oxidases were exclusively localized in glyoxysomes, indicating that glyoxysomes can completely metabolize fatty acids to acyl-CoA by their cooperative action. In order to clarify the regulatory mechanisms underlying degradation of storage oil, we tried to obtain glyoxysome-deficient mutants of Arabidopsis. We screened 2,4-dichlorophenoxybutyric acid (2,4-DB) mutants of Arabidopsis which have defects in glyoxysomal fatty acid $\beta$-oxidation. Four mutants can be classified as carrying alleles at three independent loci, which we designated pedl, ped2, and ped3, respectively (where ped stands for peroxisome defective). The characteristics of these ped mutants are described.