Hibiscus cannabinus feruloyl-coa:monolignol transferase

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9493783-B2
Application number	US-201214349137-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 4, 2012
Priority date	Oct 6, 2011
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

The invention relates to isolated nucleic acids encoding a feruloyl-CoA:monolignol transferase and feruloyl-CoA:monolignol transferase enzymes. The isolated nucleic acids and/or the enzymes enable incorporation of monolignol ferulates into the lignin of plants, where such monolignol ferulates include, for example, p-coumaryl ferulate, coniferyl ferulate, and/or sinapyl ferulate. The invention also includes methods and plants that include nucleic acids encoding a feruloyl-CoA:monolignol transferase enzyme and/or feruloyl-CoA:monolignol transferase enzymes.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. An isolated Hibiscus cannabinus (Kenaf) feruloyl-CoA:monolignol transferase cDNA with at least 95% sequence identity to nucleic acid sequence SEQ ID NO:8.

2. An isolated cDNA that encodes a Hibiscus cannabinus (Kenaf) feruloyl-CoA:monolignol transferase polypeptide with at least 95% amino acid sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:9 or SEQ ID NO:16.

3. An expression cassette comprising a feruloyl-CoA:monolignol transferase nucleic acid segment with at least about 95% sequence identity to nucleic acid sequence SEQ ID NO:8, and a heterologous promoter operably linked to the nucleic acid segment, wherein the promoter is functional in a host cell.

4. An expression cassette comprising a nucleic acid segment that encodes a Hibiscus cannabinus (Kenaf) feruloyl-CoA:monolignol transferase polypeptide with at least 95% amino acid sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:9 or SEQ ID NO:16, and a heterologous promoter operably linked to the nucleic acid segment.

5. The expression cassette of claim 3 , wherein the promoter is a promoter functional or active during plant development or growth.

6. The expression cassette of claim 3 , wherein the promoter is a promoter functional or active in woody tissues of a plant.

7. An isolated cell comprising the isolated feruloyl-CoA:monolignol transferase cDNA of claim 1 .

8. The isolated cell of claim 7 , which is a microorganism or a plant cell.

9. A plant comprising the isolated cell of claim 7 .

10. A plant comprising a heterologous feruloyl-CoA:monolignol transferase nucleic acid segment with at least about 95% sequence identity to nucleic acid sequence SEQ ID NO:8, and a heterologous promoter operably linked to the nucleic acid segment, wherein the promoter is functional in a cell of the plant.

11. The plant of claim 10 , wherein the plant has an increased percent of monolignol ferulates in the plant's lignin.

12. The plant of claim 10 , wherein the genome of the plant is stably transformed with the heterologous feruloyl-CoA:monolignol transferase nucleic acid.

13. The plant of claim 10 , wherein the feruloyl-CoA:monolignol transferase nucleic acid is transmitted through a complete normal sexual cycle of the plant to the next generation.

14. A plant seed comprising the expression cassette of claim 3 .

15. A plant seed comprising a heterologous feruloyl-CoA:monolignol transferase nucleic acid segment with at least about 95% sequence identity to nucleic acid sequence SEQ ID NO:8, and a promoter operably linked to the nucleic acid segment, wherein the promoter is functional in a cell of the plant.

16. A method for increasing the content of monolignol ferulates in lignin within a plant, comprising:
(a) planting the plant seed of claim 15 ; and
(b) cultivating a plant germinated from the plant seed, to thereby increase the content of monolignol ferulates in the lignin within the plant.

17. A method, comprising:
(a) stably transforming plant cells with the expression cassette of claim 3 , to generate transformed plant cells;
(b) regenerating the transformed plant cells into at least one transgenic plant.

18. A fertile transgenic plant having an increased percent of monolignol ferulates in the plant's lignin, the genome of which is stably transformed by the expression cassette of claim 3 , wherein the feruloyl-CoA:monolignol transferase nucleic acid is transmitted through a complete normal sexual cycle of the transgenic plant to the next generation.

19. An isolated cell comprising the expression cassette claim 3 .

20. An isolated cell comprising the expression cassette of claim 4 .

21. A plant comprising the isolated cell of claim 20 .

22. A plant seed comprising the expression cassette of claim 4 .

23. The cDNA of claim 2 , where the polypeptide has one or more conservative amino acid substitutions.

Assignees

• Wisconsin Alumni Res Found (Warf)
• Univ Michigan State
• Univ British Columbia
• Wisconsin Alumni Res Found

Inventors

• Wilkerson Curtis
• Ralph John
• Withers Saunia
• Mansfield Shawn D

Classifications

• C12Y203/01

  transferring groups other than amino-acyl groups (2.3.1) · CPC title

• C12N15/8255 Primary

  involving lignin biosynthesis · CPC title

• C12N15/8243 Primary

  involving biosynthetic or metabolic pathways, i.e. metabolic engineering, e.g. nicotine, caffeine · CPC title

• C12N15/8223

  Vegetative tissue-specific promoters · CPC title

• C12N9/1029

  transferring groups other than amino-acyl groups (2.3.1) · CPC title