Accumulation of fructans in plants by targeted expression of bacterial levansucrase
AssigneeE. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company
InventorsPerry Gerard Caimi, Howard Paul Hershey, Phillip S. Kerr
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Abstract
This invention concerns methods for synthesis and accumulation of fructose polymers in seed, tubers or leaves of transgenic plants by selective expression of a bacterial fructosyltransferase gene. Selective expression includes coordination of timing, tissue specific expression and especially subcellular location. Successful transformants utilize sucrose to synthesize and accumulate fructan in the vacuole of the cell, in established crops, without loss of co-products or concern for yield loss due to degradation during maturation, harvest or storage of the plant. Enhanced fructan production will benefit the fructose sweetener industry and add value to grain used for feed.
Claims11
A recombinant DNA construct comprising a tissue specific promoter, operably linked to a vacuole targeting sequence, operably linked to a coding sequence for a bacterial levansucrase gene wherein transformation of a plant cell selected from the group consisting of corn, potato, and tobacco with said construct results in production of fructan in the vacuole of said plant cell.
A method of increasing fructan levels in plants, comprising transforming a plant cell that has a higher than native sucrose level with a recombinant DNA construct comprising a tissue specific promoter, operably linked to a vacuole targeting sequence, operably linked to a coding sequence of a bacterial levansucrase gene, and growing a fertile, sexually mature, transformed plant from the transformed plant cell, wherein the transformed plant synthesizes and accumulates fructan.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.