Biofuel production methods and compositions
First Claim
1. A transgenic switchgrass plant comprising a selected DNA that down regulates caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT) through inhibition or translation of a COMT gene and reduces lignin biosynthesis in the plant and wherein the plant exhibits an increase in fermentable carbohydrates relative to a plant of the same genotype lacking the selected DNA, wherein the inhibition of transcription or translation is accomplished by expression of a nucleic acid from said selected DNA complementary to all or part of the COMT gene;
- wherein the selected DNA comprises SEQ ID NO;
5 or a fragment of at least 100 contiguous nucleotides thereof, or a sequence with at least 95% identity to SEQ ID NO;
5.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention provides methods for increasing the level of fermentable carbohydrates in a biofuel crop plant such as alfalfa or switchgrass, by modification of the lignin biosynthetic pathway. Also provided are plants prepared by the methods of the invention. Methods for processing plant tissue and for producing ethanol by utilizing such plants are also provided.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A transgenic switchgrass plant comprising a selected DNA that down regulates caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT) through inhibition or translation of a COMT gene and reduces lignin biosynthesis in the plant and wherein the plant exhibits an increase in fermentable carbohydrates relative to a plant of the same genotype lacking the selected DNA, wherein the inhibition of transcription or translation is accomplished by expression of a nucleic acid from said selected DNA complementary to all or part of the COMT gene;
- wherein the selected DNA comprises SEQ ID NO;
5 or a fragment of at least 100 contiguous nucleotides thereof, or a sequence with at least 95% identity to SEQ ID NO;
5. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
- wherein the selected DNA comprises SEQ ID NO;
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5. The transgenic plant with the selected DNA, further defined as an R0 transgenic plant.
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12. A method of increasing the level of one or more fermentable carbohydrates in a switchgrass plant comprising down-regulating a caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT) in the plant through inhibition of transcription or translation of a COMT gene, wherein the inhibition of transcription or translation is accomplished by introducing and expressing a nucleic acid sequence from a selected DNA complementary to all or part of the COMT gene;
- wherein the selected DNA comprises SEQ ID NO;
5 or a fragment thereof of at least 100 contiguous nucleotides thereof, or a sequence with at least 95% identity to SEQ ID NO;
5. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
- wherein the selected DNA comprises SEQ ID NO;
Specification