Isolation of gamma tocopherol methyltransferase gene from marine microalgae (chlorella sp.)

Abstract

Tocopherols are essential components of the human diet and are synthesized exclusively by photosynthetic organisms. Tocopherols are micronutrients with antioxidant properties that play important roles in animal and human nutrition. Due to these health benefits, there is considerable interest in identifying the genes involved in tocopherol biosynthesis to allow transgenic alteration of both tocopherol levels and composition in agricultural crops.