FERULOYL-CoA:MONOLIGNOL TRANSFERASE

• US 20130203973A1
• Filed: 07/22/2011
• Published: 08/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Board of Trustees of Michigan State University (Michigan State University), University of British Columbia, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (University of Wisconsin System)
• Original Assignee: University of British Columbia
• Inventors: Ralph, John, Wilkerson, Curtis, Withers, Saunia, Mansfield, Shawn D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,487,794 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 530/505
• CPC Class Codes: C07G 1/00 Lignin; Lignin derivatives
• CPC Class Codes: C08H 6/00 Macromolecular compounds derived from lignin, e.g. tannins, humic acids
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8255 involving lignin biosynthesis
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/1029 transferring groups other than amino-acyl groups (2.3.1)
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 19/04 Polysaccharides, i.e. compounds containing more than five saccharide radicals attached to each other by glycosidic bonds
• CPC Class Codes: C12Y 203/01133 Shikimate O-hydroxycinnamoyltransferase (2.3.1.133)

Abstract

The invention relates to nucleic acids encoding a feruloyl-CoA:monolignol transferase and the feruloyl-CoA:monolignol transferase enzyme that enables incorporation of monolignol ferulates, for example, including p-coumaryl ferulate, coniferyl ferulate, and sinapyl ferulate, into the lignin of plants.

Claims

1. A transgenic poplar plant comprising an isolated nucleic acid encoding a feruloyl-CoA:

monolignol transferase comprising a DNA with a SEQ ID NO;

1 sequence.

2. The transgenic poplar plant of claim 1, wherein the nucleic acid encodes a feruloyl-CoA:

monolignol transferase that can catalyze the synthesis of monolignol ferulate(s) from monolignol(s) and feruloyl-CoA.

3. The transgenic poplar plant of claim 2, wherein the monolignol is coniferyl alcohol, p-coumaryl alcohol, sinapyl alcohol or a combination thereof.

4. The transgenic poplar plant of claim 1, wherein the nucleic acid encodes a feruloyl-CoA:

monolignol transferase polypeptide with a SEQ ID NO;

2 sequence.

5. The transgenic poplar plant of claim 1, wherein the nucleic acid encoding the feruloyl-CoA:

monolignol transferase is operably linked to a promoter functional in a plant host cell.

6. The transgenic poplar plant of claim 5, wherein the promoter is a poplar xylem-specific secondary cell wall specific cellulose synthase 8 promoter or a cauliflower mosaic virus promoter.

7. The transgenic poplar plant of claim 1, wherein the nucleic acid encoding the feruloyl-CoA:

monolignol transferase is linked to a selectable marker gene.

8. The transgenic plant of claim 1, wherein the percent of monolignol ferulates in the plant'"'"'s lignin is increased relative to an untransformed poplar plant.

9. The transgenic plant of claim 1, wherein the percent of monolignol ferulates in the plant'"'"'s lignin is increased by at least 1% relative to an untransformed poplar plant.

10. The transgenic plant of claim 1, wherein the percent of monolignol ferulates in the plant'"'"'s lignin is increased by at least 2-5% relative to an untransformed poplar plant.

11. The transgenic plant of claim 1, wherein the transgenic plant is fertile.

16. A lignin isolated from the transgenic plant of claim 1.

12. A fertile transgenic poplar plant having an increased percent of monolignol ferulates in the plant'"'"'s lignin, the genome of which is stably transformed by a nucleic acid comprising a DNA with a SEQ ID NO:

1 sequence, wherein the nucleic acid is operably linked to a promoter functional in a host cell, and wherein the feruloyl-CoA;

monolignol transferase nucleic acid is transmitted through a complete normal sexual cycle of the transgenic plant to the next generation.

13. The poplar plant of claim 12, wherein the percent of monolignol ferulates in the plant'"'"'s lignin is increased relative to the corresponding untransformed plant.

14. The poplar plant of claim 12, wherein the percent of monolignol ferulates in the plant'"'"'s lignin is increased by at least 1% relative to the corresponding untransformed plant.

15. The poplar plant of claim 12, wherein the percent of monolignol ferulates in the plant'"'"'s lignin is increased by at least 2-5% relative to the corresponding untransformed plant.

17. A method of making a product from a poplar plant comprising:

(a) providing a poplar plant that includes an isolated nucleic acid encoding a feruloyl-CoA;

monolignol transferase comprising a DNA with a SEQ ID NO;

1 sequence; and

(b) processing the poplar plant'"'"'s tissues under conditions sufficient to digest to the lignin; and

thereby generate the product from the poplar plant,

wherein the poplar plant'"'"'s tissues comprise lignin having an increased percent of monolignol ferulates relative to a corresponding untransformed plant.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the conditions sufficient to digest to the lignin comprise conditions sufficient to cleave ester bonds within monolignol ferulate-containing lignin.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the conditions sufficient to digest to the lignin comprise mildly alkaline conditions.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the conditions sufficient to digest to the lignin comprise contacting the poplar plant'"'"'s tissues with ammonia for a time and a temperature sufficient to cleave ester bonds within monolignol ferulate-containing lignin.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the conditions sufficient to digest to the lignin would not cleave substantially any of the ether and carbon-carbon bonds in lignin from a poplar plant that does not contain the isolated nucleic acid encoding the feruloyl-CoA:

monolignol transferase.