CHIMERIC GENES AND METHODS FOR INCREASING THE LYSINE CONTENTOF THE SEEDS OF CORN, SOYBEAN AND RAPESEED PLANTS

• Main Authors: RICE, JANET ANN, FALCO, SAVERIO CARL, KEELER, SHARON JO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 24.04.2007
• Subjects: AGRICULTURE; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; BEER; BIOCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; CULTURE MEDIA; ENZYMOLOGY; FISHING; FORESTRY; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HUNTING; METALLURGY; MICROBIOLOGY; MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; NEW PLANTS OR PROCESSES FOR OBTAINING THEM; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY; PEPTIDES; PLANT REPRODUCTION BY TISSUE CULTURE TECHNIQUES; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; SPIRITS; TRAPPING; VINEGAR; WINE

This invention relates to three chimeric genes, the first encoding dihydrodipicolinic acid synthase (DHDPS), which is insensitive to inhibition by lysine and operably linked to a plant chloroplast transit sequence, a second encoding a lysine-rich protein, and a third encoding a plant lysine ketoglutarate reductase, all operably linked to plant seed-specific regulatory sequences. Methods for their use to produce increased levels of lysine in the seeds of transformed plants are provided. Also provided are transformed corn, rapeseed and soybean plants wherein the seeds accumulate lysine to higher levels than untransformed plants.