# US 12,006,505 B2 · Woody plants having improved growth properties

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- Number: US 12,006,505 B2
- Document ID: US12006505B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/529,043
- Filed: 2021-11-17
- Published: 2022-03-03
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2014-12-29
- Assignees: SweTree Technologies AB
- Applicants: SweTree Technologies AB
- Inventors: Magnus Hertzberg; Karin Johansson; David Jonsén; Pär Jonsson; Linus Möller; Leif Jönsson; Madhavi Latha Gandla; Rishikesh Bhalerao; Jarmo Schrader; Göran Sandberg
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12006505B2

## CPC

- C12N 15/8261: {with agronomic (input) traits, e.g. crop yield}
- C07K 14/415: from plants
- C12N 15/8218: {Antisense, co-suppression, viral induced gene silencing [VIGS], post-transcriptional induced gene silencing [PTGS]}
- Y02A 40/146: Genetically Modified [GMO] plants, e.g. transgenic plants
- C12N: MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA (microbiological testing media C12Q1/00)
- C07K: PEPTIDES (peptides in foodstuffs A23; obtaining protein compositions for foodstuffs, working-up proteins for foodstuffs A23J; preparations for medicinal purposes A61K; peptides containing beta-lactam rings C07D; cyclic dipeptides not having in their molecule any other peptide link than those which form their ring, e.g. piperazine-2,5-diones, C07D; ergot alkaloids of the cyclic peptide type C07D519/02; macromolecular compounds having statistically distributed amino acid units in their molecules, i.e. when the preparation does not provide for a specific; but for a random sequence of the amino acid units, homopolyamides and block copolyamides derived from amino acids C08G69/00; macromolecular products derived from proteins C08H1/00; preparation of glue or gelatine C09H; single cell proteins, enzymes C12N; genetic engineering processes for obtaining peptides C12N15/00; compositions for measuring or testing processes involving enzymes C12Q; investigation or analysis of biological material G01N33/00)
- Y02A: TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE

## Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing a genetically modified plant or woody plant with improved growth properties (in terms of biomass and wood quality) as compared to a corresponding non-genetically modified wild type plant or woody plant, said method comprising altering the level of expression of a polypeptide in a plant cell or woody plant cell; a plant or woody plant; or a part thereof.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for producing a genetically modified woody plant having increased biomass and/or wood density compared to a corresponding non-genetically modified woody plant of the same species, said method comprising:
a) transforming a woody plant cell with an expression cassette which comprises a nucleic acid molecule operably linked to a heterologous promoter and encoding at least one inhibitory polynucleotide that targets an endogenous gene sequence in the transformed woody plant cell to reduce or eliminate expression of a protein encoded by the endogenous gene sequence, wherein said at least one inhibitory polynucleotide is expressed in said transformed woody plant cell, and wherein said endogenous gene sequence encodes an endogenous polypeptide having an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of (i) the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 98 and (ii) an amino acid sequence having at least 95% amino acid sequence identity to the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 98, and overexpressing said inhibitory nucleic acid sequence in said transformed woody plant cell to produce genetically modified woody plant cell, and obtaining genetically modified woody plants and parts thereof having reduced or elimination of expression of said endogenous polypeptide as compared to a corresponding non-genetically modified woody plant of same species lacking said expression cassette;
b) selecting a genetically modified woody plant and a part thereof from said genetically modified woody plants and parts thereof of step a) with improved biomass and/or wood density as compared to a corresponding non-genetically modified woody plant of the same species; and
c) growing the genetically modified woody plant and the part thereof of step b) under conditions which permit development of the genetically modified woody plant.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, further comprising:
d) selfing or crossing the genetically modified woody plant of step c) with itself or another woody plant of the same species to produce seed, wherein said seed comprises said expression cassette; and
e) growing a progeny woody plant from the seed of step d), wherein the progeny woody plant comprises said expression cassette and has increased biomass and/or wood density as compared to a control woody plant of the same species.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the endogenous polypeptide is encoded by any one of:
a) a nucleic acid molecule comprising the nucleotide sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 97; and
b) a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence which has at least 95% nucleotide sequence identity to the nucleotide sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 97.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein said inhibitory nucleic acid sequence encodes a ribonucleic acid sequence which has at least 17 contiguous nucleotides of SEQ ID NO: 97 and is capable of forming double stranded RNA molecule.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the genetically modified woody plant is a hardwood tree selected from the group consisting of acacia, eucalyptus, hornbeam, beech, mahogany, walnut, oak, ash, willow, hickory, birch, chestnut, poplar, alder, aspen, maple, sycamore, ginkgo, a palm tree, sweet gum, cypress, Douglas fir, fir, sequoia, hemlock, cedar, juniper, larch, pine, redwood, spruce and yew.