Method for the reduction of tobacco-specific nitrosamines or their precursors in tobacco plants
AssigneeBritish American Tobacco (Investments) Limited
InventorsPascaline Le Lay, Juan Pablo Sanchez Tamburrino
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention provides a method for reducing at least one tobacco-specific nitrosamine or a precursor thereof in tobacco comprising modifying the tobacco plant by increasing the activity or expression of a LBD (lateral organ bound domain) nitrogen-responsive transcription factor. The present invention also provides tobacco cells, tobacco plants, tobacco plant propagation materials, harvested leaves, processed tobaccos, or tobacco products obtainable in accordance with the invention.
Claims38
A method of reducing at least one tobacco-specific nitrosamine (TSNA) or a precursor thereto in a tobacco plant, comprising modifying the plant by increasing the activity or expression of a LBD (lateral organ bound domain) nitrogen-responsive transcription factor in said tobacco plant, wherein the LBD nitrogen-responsive transcription factor is LBD37, LBD38 or LBD39, wherein the LBD nitrogen-responsive transcription factor comprises a polypeptide sequence shown herein as SEQ ID NO:
- 2, SEQ ID NO:
- 4 or SEQ ID NO:
- 6, or a polypeptide having at least 90% identity with SEQ ID NO:
- 2, SEQ ID NO:
- 4 or SEQ ID NO:
- 6, and wherein the concentration or total content of at least one TSNA or a precursor thereto is reduced in a tobacco leaf, a harvested leaf, or a processed tobacco leaf, when compared to a tobacco plant which has not been modified to increase the activity or expression of a LBD nitrogen-responsive transcription factor.
A method for producing a tobacco plant, a tobacco plant propagation material, a tobacco leaf, a cut harvested tobacco leaf, a processed tobacco leaf or a cut and processed tobacco leaf which has a reduction in at least one TSNA or a precursor thereto, the method comprising modifying said tobacco plant to increase the activity or expression of a LBD nitrogen-responsive transcription factor, wherein the LBD nitrogen-responsive transcription factor is LBD37, LBD38 or LBD39, wherein the LBD nitrogen-responsive transcription factor comprises a polypeptide sequence shown herein as SEQ ID NO:
- 2, SEQ ID NO:
- 4 or SEQ ID NO:
- 6, or a polypeptide having at least 90% identity with SEQ ID NO:
- 2, SEQ ID NO:
- 4 or SEQ ID NO:
- 6, and wherein the concentration or total content of at least one TSNA or a precursor thereto is reduced in a tobacco leaf, a harvested leaf, or a processed tobacco leaf, when compared to a tobacco plant which has not been modified to increase the activity or expression of a LBD nitrogen-responsive transcription factor.
A tobacco plant cell:
- i) comprising an exogenous LBD nitrogen-responsive transcription factor, wherein the LBD nitrogen-responsive transcription factor is LBD37, LBD38 or LBD39 and wherein the LBD nitrogen-responsive transcription factor comprises a polypeptide sequence shown herein as SEQ ID NO:
- 2, SEQ ID NO:
- 4 or SEQ ID NO:
- 6, or a polypeptide having at least 90% identity with SEQ ID NO:
- 2, SEQ ID NO:
- 4 or SEQ ID NO:
- 6:
- or
- ii) comprising a construct or vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding a LBD nitrogen-responsive transcription factor operably linked with a leaf-specific promoter, a leaf-preferred promoter or a senescence-specific promoter, wherein the LBD nitrogen-responsive transcription factor is LBD37, LBD38 or LBD39, and wherein the LBD nitrogen-responsive transcription factor comprises a polypeptide sequence shown herein as SEQ ID NO:
- 2, SEQ ID NO:
- 4 or SEQ ID NO:
- 6, or a polypeptide having at least 90% identity with SEQ ID NO:
- 2, SEQ ID NO:
- 4 or SEQ ID NO:
- 6.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.