Transgenic plants with increased photosynthesis efficiency and growth
AssigneesThe Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, The Regents of the University of California
InventorsStephen P. Long, Johannes Kromdijk, Katarzyna Glowacka, Krishna K. Niyogi, Laurie Beth Leonelli, Stephane T. Gabilly
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Abstract
The present disclosure provides a transgenic plant comprising one or more nucleotide sequences encoding polypeptides selected from photosystem II subunit S (PsbS), zeaxanthin epoxidase (ZEP), and violaxanthin de-epoxidase (VDE), operably linked to at least one expression control sequence. Expression vectors for making transgenic plants, and methods for increasing biomass production and/or carbon fixation and/or growth in a plant comprising increasing expression of at least one of PsbS, ZEP and VDE polypeptides are also provided.
Claims36
1-122. (canceled)
A genetically modified higher plant (tracheophyte) comprising genetic modifications that increase expression of both a ZEP polypeptide and a VDE polypeptide as compared to expression of the ZEP polypeptide and the VDE polypeptide in a control plant without the genetic modifications grown under the same conditions, wherein the expression of the VDE polypeptide is increased by expressing a transfected nucleotide sequence encoding the VDE polypeptide in the genetically modified plant and/or by a genetic modification in a promoter of a nucleotide sequence encoding the VDE polypeptide, and wherein the expression of the ZEP polypeptide is increased by expressing a transfected nucleotide sequence encoding the ZEP polypeptide in the genetically modified plant and/or by a genetic modification in a promoter of a nucleotide sequence encoding the ZEP polypeptide.
An expression vector comprising one or more nucleotide sequences encoding a higher plant (tracheophyte) ZEP and VDE, operably linked to at least one expression control sequence, wherein the at least one expression control sequence provides that the transcript levels of ZEP and VDE are both increased under the same conditions when the expression vector is transfected into a plant as compared to a control plant lacking the transfected nucleotide sequences grown under the same conditions.
A method for increasing growth, increasing photosynthetic efficiency, improving photoprotection efficiency, increasing lutein, and/or improving quantum yield and CO2 fixation in a genetically modified higher plant (tracheophyte), or the rate of relaxation of non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), said method comprising cultivating the plant under fluctuating light conditions, wherein both a ZEP and a VDE polypeptide have increased expression as compared to expression of the ZEP and the VDE polypeptide in a control plant without the genetic modifications grown under the same conditions, wherein the expression of the VDE polypeptide is increased by expressing a transfected nucleotide sequence encoding the VDE polypeptide in the genetically modified plant and/or by a genetic modification in a promoter of a nucleotide sequence encoding the VDE polypeptide, and wherein the expression of the ZEP polypeptide is increased by expressing a transfected nucleotide sequence encoding the ZEP polypeptide in the genetically modified plant and/or by a genetic modification in a promoter of a nucleotide sequence encoding the ZEP polypeptide.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.