Selective control of lignin biosynthesis in transgenic plants
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of California
InventorsMartin F. Yanofsky, Sarah Liljegren
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Abstract
The present invention provides methods of selectively controlling lignin biosynthesis in plants such that lignification is reduced or enhanced, as desired. The invention provides, for example, a method of reducing lignification in a vascular plant by ectopically expressing a nucleic acid molecule encoding an AGL8-like gene product in the plant, whereby lignification is reduced due to ectopic expression of the nucleic acid molecule. An AGL8-like gene product useful in the invention can have, for example, substantially the amino acid sequence of an AGL8 ortholog such as Arabidopsis AGL8 (SEQ ID NO:2).
Claims64
A method of reducing lignification in a vascular plant, comprising ectopically expressing a nucleic acid molecule encoding an AGL8-like gene product in said vascular plant, whereby lignification is reduced due to ectopic expression of said nucleic acid molecule.
A method of reducing lignification in a vascular plant, comprising suppressing both AGL1 and AGL5 expression in said vascular plant, whereby lignification is reduced.
A transgenic vascular plant characterized by reduced lignification, comprising an ectopically expressed nucleic acid molecule comprising a lignified tissue-selective regulatory element operatively linked to a nucleic acid molecule encoding an AGL8-like gene product.
A method of enhancing lignification in a vascular plant, comprising ectopically expressing a nucleic acid molecule encoding an AGL1/5-like gene product in said vascular plant, whereby lignification is enhanced due to ectopic expression of said nucleic acid molecule.
A method of enhancing lignification in a vascular plant, comprising suppressing AGL8-like gene product expression in said vascular plant, whereby lignification is enhanced.
A transgenic vascular plant characterized by enhanced lignification, comprising an ectopically expressed nucleic acid molecule comprising a lignified tissue-selective regulatory element operatively linked to a nucleic acid molecule encoding an AGL1/5-like gene product.
A kit for producing a transgenic vascular plant characterized by altered lignification, comprising a nucleic acid molecule comprising a lignified tissue-selective regulatory element and a nucleic acid molecule encoding a gene product selected from the group consisting of an AGL8-like gene product, an AGL1-like gene product and an AGL5-like gene product.
A method of enhancing lignification in a vascular plant, comprising ectopically expressing a nucleic acid molecule encoding an R-like bHLH gene product in said vascular plant, whereby lignification is enhanced due to ectopic expression of said nucleic acid molecule.
A transgenic vascular plant characterized by enhanced lignification, comprising an ectopically expressed nucleic acid molecule comprising a heterologous regulatory element operatively linked to a nucleic acid molecule encoding a R-like bHLH gene product.
A method of reducing lignification in a vascular plant, comprising suppressing R-like bHLH expression in said vascular plant, whereby lignification is reduced.
A non-naturally occurring vascular plant characterized by reduced lignification, in which R-like bHLH expression in suppressed, provided that said vascular plant does not ectopically express AGL8 or have suppressed AGL1 and AGL5 expression.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.