Methods for altering the reactivity of plant cell walls
AssigneeBayer BioScience N.V.
InventorsMarc De Block, Frank Meulewaeter, Rainhard Koch, Bernd Essigmann
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Abstract
Methods and means are provided for the modification of the reactivity of plant cell walls, particularly as they can be found in natural fibers of fiber producing plants by inclusion of positively charged oligosaccharides or polysaccharides into the cell wall. This can be conveniently achieved by expressing a chimeric gene encoding an N-acetylglucosamine transferase, particularly an N-acetylglucosamine transferase, capable of being targeted to the membranes of the Golgi apparatus in cells of a plant.
Claims17
A method for increasing the amount of positively charged oligosaccharides or polysaccharides in the cell wall of a plant cell, said method comprising introducing a chimeric gene into a plant cell, said chimeric gene comprising:
- (a) a plant-expressible promoter;
- (b) a DNA region coding for an N-acetylglucosamine transferase, wherein said N-acetylglucosamine transferase is a chitin synthase comprising a signal anchor sequence for targeting the membranes of the Golgi-apparatus or when said N-acetylglucosamine transferase is of the NODC type;
- and
- (c) a transcription termination and polyadenylation region.
A method for increasing the amount of positively charged oligosaccharides or polysaccharides in the cell wall of a plant cell, said method comprising:
- (1) introducing a chimeric gene into the plant cell, said chimeric gene comprising the following operably linked DNA fragments:
- (a) a plant-expressible promoter;
- (b) a DNA region coding for chitin synthase;
- and
- (c) a signal anchor sequence for targeting the membranes of the Golgi-apparatus;
- and
- (d) a transcription termination and polyadenylation region and
- (2) applying to said plant an effective amount of N-acetylglucosamine, glucosamine-6-phosphate, N-acetylglucosamine-6-phosphate, N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate or UDP-N-acetylglucosamine.
A method of increasing the amount of positively charged oligosaccharides in the cell wall of a plant cell comprising transforming a plant cell with a DNA region coding for an N-acetylglucosamine transferase, wherein said DNA is targeted to the Golgi apparatus.
A method of increasing the reactivity of plant cell walls for chemical modifications of plant cell walls comprising transforming a plant cell with a DNA region coding for an N-acetylglucosamine transferase, wherein said DNA is targeted to the Golgi apparatus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.