PLANTS HAVING IMPROVED GROWTH CHARACTERISTICS AND METHODS FOR MAKING THE SAME

• Main Authors: INZE DIRK, VLIEGHE KOBE, DE VEYLDER LIEVEN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 30.06.2011
• Subjects: AGRICULTURE; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; BEER; BIOCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; CULTURE MEDIA; ENZYMOLOGY; FISHING; FORESTRY; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HUNTING; HYGIENE; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; 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; PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL, OR TOILET PURPOSES; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; SPIRITS; TRAPPING; VINEGAR; WINE

The present invention concerns a method for altering characteristics of a plant. The invention describes the identification of a gene that is downregulated in transgenic plants overexpressing E2Fa/DPa and the use of such sequences to alter plant characteristics. A preferred way for altering characteristics of a plant comprises modifying expression of one or more nucleic acid sequences and or modifying level and/or activity of one or more proteins, which nucleic acids and/or proteins encoded thereby are essentially similar to SEQ ID NO 1835. The gene identified in the present invention have an E2Fa target consensus sequence in their 5′ upstream region. The identified gene is postulated to play a role as transcription factors.