Modification of lignin content and composition in plants
AssigneeUniversity of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc.
InventorZheng-Hua Ye
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Plants and methods of preparing plants having reduced lignin content and/or altered lignin composition are provided. The activities of caffeoyl-CoA O-methyltransferase and/or caffeic acid O-methyltransferase enzymes in the modified plants are reduced.
Claims58
A plant having reduced lignin content compared to the lignin content of a comparable wild-type plant wherein the plant exhibits reduced activity of a caffeoyl-CoA O-methyltransferase (CCoAOMT) compared to the activity of the caffeoyl-CoA O-methyltransferase in the wild plant.
A plant that exhibits reduced CCoAOMT activity compared to the CCoAOMT activity of a comparable wild-type plant.
A genetically engineered plant comprising at least one exogenous nucleic acid comprising a nucleotide sequence that is “antisense” to at least a portion of the CCoAOMT gene, such that the genetically engineered plant exhibits reduced CCoAOMT activity compared to the CCoAOMT activity of a wild-type plant.
A plant having altered lignin composition compared to the lignin composition of a wild-type plant, wherein the plant exhibits reduced activity of a caffeoyl-CoA O-methyltransferase (CCOAOMT) compared to the activity of the caffeoyl-CoA O-methyltransferase in the wild-type plant.
A method for making a genetically engineered plant comprising:
- (a) transfecting a plant cell with a first exogenous nucleic acid associated with reduced activity in the plant of a caffeoyl-CoA O-methyltransferase (CCOAOMT) compared to the activity of the caffeoyl-CoA O-methyltransferase in the wild-type plant, to yield a genetically engineered plant cell;
- and
- (b) growing the genetically engineered plant cell into the genetically engineered plant having reduced lignin content compared to the lignin content of a comparable wild-type plant.
A method for making a genetically engineered plant comprising:
- (a) transfecting a plant cell with a vector comprising a first exogenous nucleic acid comprising a first nucleotide sequence that is “antisense” to a CCoAOMT gene to yield a genetically engineered plant cell;
- (b) causing expression of the first exogenous nucleic acid in the genetically engineered plant cell to produce a first “antisense” RNA transcript having a nucleotide sequence that is complementary to a nucleotide sequence of at least a portion of an endogenous CCoAOMT RNA;
- and
- (c) growing the genetically engineered plant cell into the genetically engineered plant having reduced lignin content compared to the lignin content of a comparable wild-type plant.
A method for making a genetically engineered plant comprising:
- (a) transfecting a plant cell with a first vector comprising a first exogenous nucleic acid comprising a first nucleotide sequence that is “antisense” to a CCoAOMT gene and a second vector comprising a second exogenous nucleic acid comprising a second nucleotide sequence that is “antisense” to a CAOMT gene to yield a genetically engineered plant cell;
- (b) causing expression of the first and second exogenous nucleic acids in the genetically engineered plant cell to produce a first “antisense” RNA transcript having a nucleotide sequence that is complementary to a nucleotide sequence of at least a portion of an endogenous CCoAOMT RNA and a second “antisense” RNA transcript having a nucleotide sequence that is complementary to a nucleotide sequence of at least a portion of an endogenous CAOMT RNA;
- and
- (c) growing the genetically engineered plant cell into the genetically engineered plant having reduced lignin content compared to the lignin content of a comparable wild-type plant.
A method for making a genetically engineered plant comprising:
- (a) transfecting a plant cell with at least one exogenous nucleic acid associated with reduced activity in the plant of a caffeoyl-CoA O-methylgransferase (CcoAOMT) compared to the activity of the caffeoyl-CoA O-methyltransferase in the wild-type plant, to yield a genetically engineered plant cell;
- and
- (b) growing the genetically engineered plant cell into a genetically engineered plant having reduced lignin content compared to the lignin content of a comparable wild-type plant and altered lignin composition compared to the lignin composition of the comparable wild-type plant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.