Plants with reduced asparagine content
AssigneePhilip Morris Products S.A.
InventorLucien Bovet
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Abstract
There is described herein a mutant, non-naturally occurring or transgenic plant or part thereof having reduced expression or activity of asparagine synthetase, said asparagine synthetase comprising, consisting or consisting essentially of: (i) a polynucleotide sequence comprising, consisting or consisting essentially of a sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:1 or at least 72% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:5 or SEQ ID NO:7; or (ii) a polypeptide encoded by the polynucleotide set forth in (i); or (iii) a polypeptide having at least 78% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:2 or SEQ ID NO:4 or SEQ ID NO:6 or SEQ ID NO:8; wherein the expression or activity of the asparagine synthetase set forth in (i), (ii) or (iii) is reduced as compared to a control plant.
Claims37
A mutant, non-naturally occurring or transgenic tobacco plant or part thereof having reduced expression or activity of asparagine synthetase, said asparagine synthetase comprising:
- (i) a polynucleotide sequence having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:1 or SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:5 or SEQ ID NO:7;
- or
- (ii) a polypeptide encoded by the polynucleotide set forth in (i);
- or
- (iii) a polypeptide having at least 90% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:2 or SEQ ID NO:4 or SEQ ID NO:6 or SEQ ID NO:8;
- wherein the expression or activity of the asparagine synthetase set forth in (i), (ii) or (iii) is reduced as compared to a control plant.
A method of preparing tobacco plant material with reduced levels of asparagine and reduced levels of acrylamide in aerosol derived from said tobacco plant material as compared to plant material from a control tobacco plant, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a tobacco plant or part thereof comprising a polynucleotide comprising a sequence encoding an asparagine synthetase and having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:1 or SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:5 or SEQ ID NO:7;
- (b) reducing the expression of the polynucleotide or the activity of the protein encoded thereby in the tobacco plant or part thereof;
- (c) harvesting plant material from the tobacco plant or part thereof;
- (d) drying or curing the tobacco plant material;
- (e) optionally, measuring a level of asparagine in the tobacco plant or part thereof and/or measuring a level of acrylamide in aerosol derived from the tobacco plant or part thereof;
- and
- (f) obtaining cured or dried plant material with reduced levels of asparagine and reduced levels of acrylamide in aerosol derived from said tobacco plant material.
A mutant, non-naturally occurring, or transgenic tobacco plant, or part thereof having asparagine synthetase comprising:
- (i) a polynucleotide sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:1 or at least 72% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:5 or SEQ ID NO:7, wherein a control plant does not comprise the polynucleotide;
- or
- (ii) a polypeptide encoded by the polynucleotide set forth in (i), wherein the control plant does not comprise the polypeptide;
- or
- (iii) a polypeptide having at least 78% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:2 or SEQ ID NO:4 or SEQ ID NO:6 or SEQ ID NO:8, wherein a control plant does not comprise the polypeptide, and
- wherein the mutant, non-naturally occurring, or transgenic tobacco plant comprises substantially the same amount of nicotine as the control plant or contains higher amounts of nicotine than the control plant.
A method comprising altering a tobacco plant to comprise a polynucleotide comprising a sequence encoding an asparagine synthetase having at least 90% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:1 or at least 72% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:5 or SEQ ID NO:7, wherein a control plant does not comprise the polynucleotide, and wherein the altered tobacco plant comprises substantially the same amount of nicotine as the control plant or contains higher amounts of nicotine than the control plant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.