cis-3-Hexenal production in tobacco is stimulated by 16-carbon monounsaturated fatty acids.

Transgenic tobacco plants O9 and T16 expressing the yeast acyl-CoA Delta9 desaturase and an insect acyl-CoA Delta11 desaturase, respectively, displayed altered profiles of fatty acids compared to wild-type tobacco plants and marked increases in cis-3-hexenal, a major leaf volatile derived from alpha-linolenic acid (18:3). As expected, O9 and T16 plants had increased levels of the major unsaturated fatty acid products formed by the transgenic desaturases they expressed, viz., palmitoleic acid (16:1(Delta9)) and palmitvaccenic acid (16:1(Delta11)), respectively. In addition, levels of 18:3 lipid declined slightly and the pool of free 18:3, which accounts for about 30% of free fatty acids in wild-type plants, disappeared completely in both transgenics. Both O9 and T16 plants were found to have a two-fold increase in 13-lipoxygenase (13-LOX) activity, which catalyzes the first of two steps leading to hexenal production from 18:3. In O9 and T16 plants, the activity of 9-lipoxygenase and hydroperoxide lyase, the latter catalyzing the formation of cis-3-hexenal from alpha-linolenic acid hydroperoxide, was significantly different from that of the wild-type plants. Although 16:1(Delta9) and 16:1(Delta11) had no direct effects on 13-LOX activity in vitro, cis-3-hexenal production increased in tobacco leaves treated with these fatty acids, suggesting that they may act in vivo by stimulating 13-LOX gene expression.