KEY GENE REGULATING CELL WALL BIOSYNTHESIS AND RECALCITRANCE IN POPULUS, GENE Y

• US 20140182013A1
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Published: 06/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UT-Battelle LLC
• Original Assignee: UT-Battelle LLC
• Inventors: CHEN, Jay, ENGLE, Nancy L., GUNTER, Lee E., JAWDY, Sara, TSCHAPLINSKI, Timothy J., TUSKAN, Gerald A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,206,436 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 800/278
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8218 Antisense, co-suppression, viral induced gene silencing [VIGS], post-transcriptional induced gene silencing [PTGS]
• 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)

Abstract

This disclosure provides methods and transgenic plants for improved production of renewable biofuels and other plant-derived biomaterials by altering the expression and/or activity of Gene Y, an O-acetyltransferase.

Claims

1. An isolated polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least about 85% identity to SEQ ID NO:

1.

2. An expression vector comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding the polypeptide of claim 1 operably linked to a regulatory region that is functional in a plant.

3. The expression vector of claim 2 wherein the regulatory region is an inducible promoter or a tissue-specific promoter.

4. The expression vector of claim 3 wherein the tissue-specific promoter is a xylem-specific promoter.

6. A genetically modified plant or plant cell comprising the expression vector of claim 2, 3 or 4.

8. A method for increasing the ratio of syringyl to guaiacyl subunits to achieve a ratio of syringyl to guaiacyl subunits of greater than 2:

1 in a plant or plant cell, comprising expressing the expression vector of claim 2 in said plant or plant cell.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the ratio of syringyl to guaiacyl subunits is increased by expressing the expression vector of claim 2, 3 or 4 in a plant cell.

5. A nucleic acid inhibitor of expression of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:

1, selected from the group consisting of;

antisense RNA, RNAi microRNA, artificial microRNA, and ribozyme.

7. A genetically modified plant or plant cell comprising the inhibitor of claim 5.

9. A method of modulating a plant cell wall by increasing the ratio of syringyl to guaiacyl subunits.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the modulation is one or more of:

decreased recalcitrance, altered lignin composition, decreased lignin subunit crosslinking, increased cell wall degradability or increased acetylation of one or more cell wall compounds.

12. A method of modulating a plant cell wall by decreasing the ratio of syringyl to guaiacyl subunits.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the modulation is one or more of:

decreased recalcitrance, altered lignin composition, increased lignin subunit crosslinking, decreased cell wall thickness, increased cell wall degradability or decreased acetylation of one or more cell wall compounds.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the ratio of syringyl to guaiacyl subunits is decreased by expressing the inhibitor of claim 5 in a plant cell.