Erucic colza: scientific problems and prospects.

The principal steps of the pathway leading to the biosynthesis of erucic acid and its incorporation into triacylglycerol are relatively well described. This article describes the recent progress made towards identifying the genes coding for the enzymes of the acyl-CoA elongase complex controlling the synthesis of Very long Chain Fatty Acids in rapeseed. The second part of this review concerns the search for genes coding for the acyltransferases that are required for the insertion of the fatty acid into position 2 of the glycerol moiety. Although several genes coding for lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase (LPAAT) have been isolated from different species, in the case of rapeseed only two genes have been identified. One of these genes codes for an enzyme controlling the production of glycerolipids used for the biosynthesis of glycolipids of the plastid membranes.