Chemically inducible expression of biosynthetic pathways

A transformed plant or plant cell comprising a recombinant vector for expression of proteins in the transformed plant or plant cell, the vector encoding a polyhydroxyalkanoate biosynthetic pathway comprising three or more elements,

• wherein each element comprises operatively linked in the 5′ to 3′ direction:
• a chemically inducible promoter that directs transcription of a nucleic acid sequence;
• a nucleic acid sequence encoding a protein;
• and
• a 3′ polyadenylation signal sequence,
• wherein the nucleic acid sequences encoding proteins selected from the group consisting of beta-ketothiolase, acetoacetyl-CoA reductase, PHB synthase, PHA synthase, threonine dehydratase, 3 hydroxy acyl ACP dehydratase, Δ 3-cis, Δ 2-isomerase, propionyl-CoA synthetase, hydroxyacyl-CoA synthetase, hydroxyacyl-CoA transferase, thioesterase, fatty acid synthesis enzymes and fatty acid beta-oxidation enzymes, and wherein the transformed plant produces at least 10% dry weight (dwt) polyhydroxyalkanoate after inducing the inducible promoters, and wherein the plant does not exhibit a stunted chiorotic phenotype.

A transformed plant or plant cell comprising a recombinant vector for expression of proteins in the transformed plant or plant cell, the vector encoding a polyhydroxyalkanoate biosynthetic pathway comprising three or more elements,

• wherein each element comprises operatively linked in the 5′ to 3′ direction;
• a promoter activated by an activator molecule or complex that directs transcription of a nucleic acid sequence;
• a nucleic acid sequence encoding a protein;
• and
• a 3′ polyadenylation signal sequence,
• wherein the nucleic acid sequences encode proteins selected from the group consisting of beta-ketothiolase, acetoacetyl-CoA reductase, PHB synthase, PHA synthase, threonine dehydratase, 3 hydroxy acyl ACP dehydratase, Δ 3-cis, Δ 2-isomerase, propionyl-CoA synthetase, hydroxyacyl-CoA synthetase, hydroxyacyl-CoA transferase, thioesterase, fatty acid synthesis enzymes and fatty acid beta-oxidation enzymes, wherein the transformed plant produces at least 10% dwt polyhydroxyalkanoate after inducing the inducible promoters and, wherein the plant or plant cell does not exhibit a stunted chiorotic phenotype.

A method for the production of a polyhydroxyalkanoate in a plant comprising

• a) introducing into the plant, a recombinant vector comprising three or more elements, wherein each element comprises operatively linked in the 5′ to 3′ direction:
• a chemically inducible promoter that directs transcription of a nucleic acid sequence;
• a nucleic acid sequence encoding a protein;
• and
• a 3′ polyadenylation signal sequence,
• wherein the three or more elements contain nucleic acid sequences that encode proteins selected from the group consisting of beta-ketothiolase, acetoacetyl-CoA reductase, PHB synthase, PHA synthase, threonine dehydratase, 3 hydroxy acyl ACP dehydratase, Δ 3-cis, Δ 2-isomerase, propionyl-CoA synthetase, hydroxyacyl-CoA synthetase, hydroxyacyl-CoA transferase, thioesterase, fatty acid synthesis enzymes and fatty acid beta-oxidation enzymes, and
• b) activating the inducible promoters with an inducing agent,
• wherein the plant produces at least 10% dwt polyhydroxyalkanoate after activating the inducible promoters and, wherein the plant does not exhibit a stunted chlorotic phenotype.