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OwnerMing-Tang Chang, Peter Lewis Keeling +3inventors
InventorsMing-Tang Chang, Peter Lewis Keeling, Richard Hauber, Robert Friedman, Frances Katz
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The invention relates to a transgenic or mutated plant having genomic material which alters the normal starch synthesis pathway within the plant. More specifically, the present invention relates to a plant having a genotype which creates new forms of starch in significant quantity. Particularly, the invention relates to grain having an embryo with a genotype heterozygous for two or more wild type genes (for example, Aa/Bb) and an endosperm having a genotype heterozygous for such genes (for example, AAa/BBb or AAa/bbB or aaA/BBb or aaA/bbB) and the starch produced therefrom.
A plant having, a wild-type triploid endosperm genotype composed of 1 or 2 doses of a recessive mutant allele of a first gene and 1 or 2 doses of a recessive mutant allele of a second gene wherein said first and second genes a re independently selected from the group of genes consisting of waxy, amylose extender, dull, horny, sugary, shrunken, brittle, floury and opaque;
A plant having a wild-type triploid endosperm genotype composed of 1 or 2 doses of a recessive mutant allele of a first gene and 1 or 2 doses of a recessive mutant allele of a second gene and 1 or 2 doses of a recessive mutant allele of a third gene wherein said first and second and third genes are independently selected from the group of genes consisting of waxy, amylose extender, dull, horny, sugary, shrunken, brittle, floury and opaque;
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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Carbohydrates: starches; Derivatives thereof
Angiosperms, i.e. flowering plants, characterised by their plant parts; Angiosperms characterised otherwise than by their botanic taxonomy: seeds
Gramineae or Poaceae, e.g. ryegrass, rice, wheat or maize: zea mays [maize]
Containing microorganisms or enzymes; containing paramedical or dietetical agents, e.g. vitamins: containing microorganisms or enzymes
Term ended 9 Oct 2017 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
The invention relates to a transgenic or mutated plant having genomic material which alters the normal starch synthesis pathway within the plant More specifically, the present invention relates to a plant having a genotype which creates new forms of starch in significant quantity. Particularly, the invention relates to grain having an embryo with a genotype heterozygous for two or more wild type genes (for example, Aa/Bb) and an endosperm having a genotype heterozygous for such genes (for example, AAa/BBb or AAa/bbB or aaA/BBb or aaA/bbB) and the starch produced therefrom.
Such grain are produced by pollinating a plant having a genotype homozygous recessive for at least one gene and wild type for another gene (for example, aa/BB) with pollen from another plant having a genotype homozygous recessive for at least one other gene and wild type for the other gene (for example, AA/bb).
Most plants produce and store starch. These plants have a starch synthesis pathway for starch production. The amount of starch produced varies with the type of plant. The most commonly known starch producing plants are the cereal grains. These cereals include rice, maize, sorghum, barley, wheat, rye, and oats. Additionally, the potato family, including the sweet potatoes and certain fruits, like the banana, are known as starch producing.
The present invention will now be described, by way of illustration, by the following description and examples with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:
FIG. 1 is a graph of enzyme activity for different gene dosages of a single mutant;
FIG. 2a is a graph of the DSC scan of waxy, amylose extender and common maize;
Broadly then the present invention is an improved crop line which has manipulated expression of at least two starch-synthesizing enzymes which alter the amount and type of starch, and, consequently, alters the grain produced by the plant.
It has been discovered that plants which contain at least two genes which partially down regulated or reduce the activity of specific isoforms of enzymes in the starch synthesis pathway will surprisingly produce significant amounts of starch in the grain and will produce altered starch types.
Specialty maize or mutant plants differ from “normal” maize because of its altered endosperm. The changed endosperm gives rise to a high degree of starch branching, or changed sugar content, or different kernel structure. The endospermn of course is formed by the sperm and ovule, and the selection of both parents effects the endosperm's makeup.