# US 9,434,954 B2 · Plants with altered levels of vegetative starch

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- Number: US 9,434,954 B2
- Document ID: US9434954B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/806,654
- Filed: 2011-06-27
- Published: 2013-11-28
- Granted: 2016-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 2010-06-25
- Assignees: Agrivida, Inc.
- Applicants: Philip A. Lessard; Michael Lanahan; Vladimir Samoylov; Oleg Bougri; Jonas Emery; R. Michael Raab
- Inventors: Philip A. Lessard; Michael Lanahan; Vladimir Samoylov; Oleg Bougri; Jonas Emery; R. Michael Raab
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9434954B2

## CPC

- C12N 15/8245: {involving modified carbohydrate or sugar alcohol metabolism, e.g. starch biosynthesis}
- C12N 15/8218: {Antisense, co-suppression, viral induced gene silencing [VIGS], post-transcriptional induced gene silencing [PTGS]}
- C12N: MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA (microbiological testing media C12Q1/00)

## Abstract

Vectors for altering the expression of one or more starch regulation enzymes are provided. Methods of transformation of plant tissues to express elements altering expression of one or more starch regulation enzymes, and resulting transgenic plants are provided. Methods of using the transgenic plants are provided.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A transgenic plant comprising an RNAi construct comprising:
a first driver sequence consisting essentially of a first isolated nucleic acid having the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8;
a second driver sequence consisting essentially of a second isolated nucleic acid capable of hybridizing with the first nucleic acid sequence;
a spacer operably linked to and between the first driver sequence and the second driver sequence; and
a promoter operably linked to the first driver sequence, the second driver sequence and the spacer, wherein upon expression of the RNAi construct, an RNA sequence transcribed from the first isolated nucleic acid and an RNA sequence transcribed from the second isolated nucleic acid are capable of hybridizing with each other and causing inhibition of expression of the gene encoding an enzyme involved in the mobilization of starch, and the transgenic plant has an elevated level of vegetative starch compared to a wild type plant,
wherein, the transgenic plant is the product or progeny of Agrobacterium mediated transformation utilizing a vector comprising the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 16.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The transgenic plant of claim 1, wherein the transgenic plant is one selected from the group consisting of a rice plant, a switchgrass plant, a sorghum plant, a corn plant and a tomato plant.

### Claim 3

A method of agricultural processing or preparing animal feed comprising:
providing a transgenic plant, the transgenic plant including an RNAi construct comprising a first driver sequence comprising a first isolated nucleic acid having the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8; a second driver sequence comprising a second isolated nucleic acid capable of hybridizing with the first nucleic acid sequence; a spacer operably linked to and between the first driver sequence and the second driver sequence; and a promoter operably linked to the first driver sequence, the second driver sequence and the spacer, wherein the transgenic plant is the product or progeny of Agrobacteriurn mediated transformation utilizing a vector comprising the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 16; and
processing the transgenic plant, wherein the first and second driver sequences were expressed in the transgenic plant causing inhibition of expression of the gene encoding an enzyme involved in the mobilization of starch, and an elevated level of vegetative starch compared to a wild type plant.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the transgenic plant is one selected from the group consisting of a rice plant, a switchgrass plant, a sorghum plant, a corn plant and a tomato plant.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the step of processing includes at least one selected from the group consisting of processing for animal feed, drying, preparing for fermentation, acid hydrolysis, and amylase digestion.