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AssigneeUT-Battelle, LLC
InventorsJin-Gui Chen, Lee E. Gunter, Sara S. Jawdy, Xiaohan Yang, Gerald A. Tuskan, Anthony Christian Bryan
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This disclosure provides genetically modified plants having desirable levels of sugar release and syringyl/guaiacyl (S/G) ratio; methods of genetically modifying plants to modulate sugar release and S/G ratio; and uses of such plants. The inventors have determined that genetic modification of a laccase gene (LAC2) from Populus, encoded by locus Potri.008G064000 resulted in transgenic Populus trees with changes in syringyl/guaiacyl ratios as well as altered sugar release phenotypes. Plants with altered sugar release, and S/G ratio, based on modulation of the expression or activity of the LAC2 gene, have divergent uses including pulp and paper production, and biofuel and bioproducts production.
A genetically modified plant characterized by a reduced expression of the LAC2 gene as compared to a control plant, wherein the genetic modification is specifically targeted at the LAC2 gene or the LAC2 mRNA to reduce the LAC2 gene expression.
An expression vector, comprising a nucleotide sequence that is transcribed into a nucleic acid inhibitor of expression of the LAC2 gene, operably linked to a regulatory region that is functional in a plant, wherein the nucleic acid is selected from the group consisting of an antisense RNA, a small interfering RNA, an RNAi microRNA, an artificial microRNA, and a ribozyme.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.