Process for increasing the yield in plants by expressing stably integrated recombinant polypeptides
AssigneeMax-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Wissenschaften e.V.
InventorsMarion Kwart, Jorg Riesmeier, Lothar Willmitzer
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Abstract
A process for increasing plant yield is described. Recombinant constructs containing polypeptides are expressed under the control of companion cell specific promoters. This results in improved phloem loading and leads to increases in biomass.
Claims12
A process for increasing the yield of plants comprising transforming a plant with at least one recombinant DNA construct comprising
- (a) a region allowing the transcription specifically in the companion cells;
- and operatively linked thereto
- (b) a nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:
- (i) proteins with an enzymatic activity that cleaves sucrose;
- (ii) sucrose transporters;
- (iii) proteins the activity of which leads to the stimulation of the proton gradients located at the plasma membrane of plant cells;
- and
- (iv) citrate synthases;
- wherein said at least one construct is stably integrated into the genome of said plant and wherein the expression of said nucleotide results in an increase in plant yield.
A recombinant nucleic acid molecule comprising
- (a) a region allowing the transcription specifically in the companion cells of plants;
- and operatively linked thereto
- (b) a nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide selected from the group consisting of
- (i) sucrose synthases;
- (ii) sucrose phosphorylases;
- (iii) sucrose transporters;
- (iv) proteins the activity of which leads to the stimulation of the proton gradient located at the plasma membrane of plant cells;
- and
- (v) citrate synthases,
- wherein said recombinant nucleic acid molecule, when stably integrated into the genome of plants and expressed, leads to an increase of the yield of plants.
Use of a recombinant nucleic acid molecule containing a region allowing the transcription specifically in the companion cells of plants and operatively linked thereto a nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide selected from the group consisting of
- (i) proteins with an enzymatic activity that cleaves sucrose;
- (ii) sucrose transporters;
- (iii) proteins the activity of which leads to the stimulation of the proton gradient located at the plasma membrane;
- and
- (iv) citrate synthases, for the expression in transgenic plants for increasing the yield.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.