Question

Can you suggest a method to remove oil (hydrocarbon) from seeds based on your understanding of rDNA technology and chemistry of oil?

Answer 1

To remove oil from seeds using recombinant DNA technology would involve:

(i) Identifying the genes that code for oil production.

(ii) Deleting these genes from the seed genome.

(iii) Rejoining the remaining DNA intact.

(iv) Putting it back into the cell.

It will not be very easy because the oils are made up of fatty acids and glycerol. Since fatty acids are important components of cell membrane system, deleting or switching off of its genes might affect the cell structure itself.