Reducing levels of nicotinic alkaloids in plants
Assignee22nd Century Limited, LLC
InventorsTakashi Hashimoto, Akira Kato
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Two genes, A622 and NBB1, can be influenced to achieve a decrease of nicotinic alkaloid levels in plants. In particular, suppression of one or both of A622 and NBB1 may be used to decrease nicotine in tobacco plants.
Claims18
A method for reducing a nicotinic alkaloid in a plant comprising down-regulating A622 and NBB1 expression relative to a non-transformed control plant, wherein A622 is encoded by a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of:
- (a) the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:
- 1;
- (b) a nucleotide sequence that encodes a polypeptide having the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:
- 2;
- and
- (c) a nucleotide sequence that encodes a polypeptide with one or more conservative amino acid substitutions as compared to the polypeptide having the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:
- 2 and encoding a polypeptide with A622 expression;
- and wherein NBB1 is encoded by a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of:
- (i) the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:
- 3;
- (ii) a nucleotide sequence that encodes a polypeptide having the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:
- 4;
- and
- (iii) a nucleotide sequence that encodes a polypeptide with one or more conservative amino acid substitutions as compared to the polypeptide having the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ NO:
- 4 and encoding a polypeptide with NBB1 expression.
A genetically engineered plant having reduced A622 and NBB1 expression relative to a non-transformed control plant, wherein A622 is encoded by a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of:
- (a) the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:
- 1;
- (b) a nucleotide sequence that encodes a polypeptide having the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:
- 2;
- and
- (c) a nucleotide sequence that encodes a polypeptide with one or more conservative amino acid substitutions as compared to the polypeptide having the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:
- 2 and encoding a polypeptide with A622 expression;
- and wherein NBB1 is encoded by a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of:
- (i) the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:
- 3;
- (ii) a nucleotide sequence that encodes a polypeptide having the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:
- 4;
- and
- (iii) a nucleotide sequence that encodes a polypeptide with one or more conservative amino acid substitutions as compared to the polypeptide having the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:
- 4 and encoding a polypeptide with NBB1 expression.
A tobacco plant produced by a method comprising:
- (a) mutagenizing a plurality of tobacco plant cells thereby producing a plurality of mutagenized cells;
- screening plants generated from the mutagenized cells, or progeny produced therefrom, for reduced expression of A622 and NBB1;
- and
- (c) selecting one or more of the plants or progeny comprising a mutation in the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:
- 1 and SEQ ID NO:
- 3, wherein the plant or progeny has reduced nicotine content as compared to a control tobacco plant.
A tobacco plant comprising plant cells into which one or more mutations are introduced into:
- (a) the region of SEQ ID NO:
- 1 that encodes a polypeptide having the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:
- 2;
- and
- (b) the region of SEQ ID NO:
- 3 that encodes a polypeptide having the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:
- 4;
- wherein the plant exhibits reduced expression of a gene product encoded by SEQ ID NO:
- 1 and SEQ ID NO:
- 3 as compared to a control tobacco plant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.