Method for influencing the content of sinapine in transgenic plant cells and in plants

A method for generating plants or plant cells having a reduced content of sinapine in comparison with wild-type plants or plant cells, comprising the following steps:

• a) production of a recombinant nucleic acid molecule comprising the following sequences:
• regulatory sequences of a promoter that is active in plant cells;
• operatively linked thereto a DNA sequence, which codes for a protein having the enzymatic activity of an SGT;
• and
• optionally, operatively linked thereto regulatory sequences which may serve as transcription, termination and/or polyadenylation signals in plant cells;
• b) transfer of the nucleic acid molecule from a) to plant cells;
• and
• c) optionally, regeneration of plants from the transformed plant cells.

A DNA sequence selected from the group consisting of:

• a) DNA sequences comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding the amino acid sequence given in SEQ ID No. 3 or fragments thereof,
• b) DNA sequences comprising the nucleotide sequence given in SEQ ID No. 1 or parts thereof,
• c) DNA sequences comprising a nucleotide sequence hybridising with a complementary strand of the nucleotide sequence from a) or b) or parts of this nucleotide sequence,
• d) DNA sequences comprising a nucleotide sequence, which is degenerate to a nucleotide sequence from c) or parts of this nucleotide sequence,
• e) DNA sequences, which represent a derivative, analogue or fragment of a nucleotide sequence from a), b), c) or d).