REVIEW ARTICLE
Recent Biotechnological Applications Using Oleosins
N.J. Roberts1, R.W. Scott1, J.T.C. Tzen2, 3, *
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2008Volume: 2
First Page: 13
Last Page: 21
Publisher ID: TOBIOTJ-2-13
DOI: 10.2174/1874070700802010013
Article History:
Received Date: 17/08/2007Revision Received Date: 06/12/2007
Acceptance Date: 06/12/2007
Electronic publication date: 18/1/2008
Collection year: 2008
open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode). This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Oleosins are naturally occurring, small (15-24 kDa), amphipathic, plant proteins that prevent the coalescence of oil bodies (OBs) during seed and pollen maturation. The physiochemical properties of oleosins and their association with OBs have led to a broad array of potential applications in biotechnology utilizing native or recombinant forms of oleosin or oleosin-fused polypeptides. This review begins by briefly outlining the current understanding of oleosin topology, oil body assembly and potential health issues. A schematic model is given to potentially explain the apparent simultaneous existence of parallel and anti-parallel β sheets and a figure summarizing the process of oleosin translation through to oil body formation in vivo is also presented. The applications for oleosins, the associated modes of action and their relevant patents are then discussed in six areas: recombinant protein purification; generating protein complexes; in planta delivery; emulsification; artificial oil bodies; and modifications to the properties of oleosin itself by creating polyoleosin.