MODULATION OF EXPRESSION OF ACYLTRANSFERASES TO MODIFY HYDROXYCINNAMIC ACID CONTENT

• US 20150307892A1
• Filed: 06/22/2015
• Published: 10/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Ronald, Pamela, Scheller, Henrik Vibe, Bartley, Laura E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,708,624 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8246 Non-starch polysaccharides, e.g. cellulose, fructans, levans
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/1025 Acyltransferases (2.3)

Abstract

The invention provides methods of engineering plants to modulate hydroxycinnamic acid content. The invention additionally provides compositions and methods comprising such plants.

Claims

1. A method of engineering a plant to decrease the ferulic acid content in the plant, the method comprising:

introducing an expression cassette into the plant, wherein the expression cassette comprises a polynucleotide encoding an AT10, AT7, or AT15 acyltransferase wherein the acyltransferase has at least 70% identity to a sequence selected from SEQ ID NO;

2, SEQ ID NO;

4, or SEQ ID NO;

6, and

culturing the plant under conditions in which the acyltransferase is expressed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the polynucleotide is operably linked to a promoter endogenous to the plant.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the expression cassette comprises a promoter to which the polynucleotide is operably linked.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the promoter is a tissue-specific promoter.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the promoter drives expression in cell wall.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the polynucleotide has at least 70% identity to SEQ ID NO:

1, SEQ ID NO;

3, or SEQ ID NO;

5.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the plant is a grass plant.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the grass plant is rice, corn, switchgrass, sorghum, millet, miscanthus, sugarcane, alfalfa, wheat, soy, rye, barley, turfgrass, hemp, bamboo, rape, sunflower, or brachypodium.

14. A plant engineered by the method of claim 1, or a progeny of the plant.

16. Biomass comprising the plant or a part of the plant of claim 14.

17. A method of obtaining an increased amount of soluble sugars from a plant in a saccharification reaction, the method comprising:

subjecting the plant of claim 14 to a saccharification reaction, thereby increasing the amount of soluble sugars that can be obtained from the plant as compared to a wild-type plant.

7. A method of engineering a plant to increase the ferulic acid content in the plant, the method comprising:

introducing an expression cassette into the plant, wherein the expression cassette comprises a polynucleotide encoding an AT5 acyltransferase wherein the acyltransferase has at least 70% identity to SEQ ID NO;

8, and

culturing the plant under conditions in which the acyltransferase is expressed.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the polynucleotide is operably linked to a promoter endogenous to the plant.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the expression cassette comprises a promoter to which the polynucleotide is operably linked.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the promoter is a tissue-specific promoter.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the polynucleotide has at least 85% identity to SEQ ID NO:

8.

18. A plant engineered by the method of claim 7, or a progeny of the plant.

19. Biomass comprising the plant or a part of the plant of claim 18.

20. A method of obtaining an increased amount of soluble sugars from a plant in a saccharification reaction, the method comprising:

subjecting the plant of claim 18 to a saccharification reaction, thereby increasing the amount of soluble sugars that can be obtained from the plant as compared to a wild-type plant.

15. A plant cell comprising a polynucleotide encoding an AT10, AT15, AT7, or AT5 operably linked to a heterologous promoter;

or a plant comprising a heterologous polynucleotide encoding an AT10, AT15, AT7, or AT5 protein.