Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada As Represented by Agriculture

Anne M Johnson-Flanagan

Laurian Sylvio Robert

Jas Singh

Janice Carole Morissette

The initial steps in photosynthesis are the conversion of light energy into chemical energy. This conversion is performed by the multisubunit protein-pigment complexes of the thylakoid membranes. Oxygen-evolving photosystems contain photosystem I (PSI) and photosystem II (PSII), which act in tandem. In PSII, the majority of light-adsorbing chlorophylls are attached to LHCII, the light harvesting complex associated with this photosystem. LHCII is the most abundant member of the family of chlorophyll a/b binding (CAB) proteins. A gene encoding a type I chlorophyll a/b binding protein of LHCII (ICABPSII) has been cloned from Brassica napus L. An anti-sense RNA of this gene has been used to reduce the amount of chlorophyll a/b binding protein and thus reduce the amount of chlorophyll in the resulting transgenic plants. By using 'site' specific promoters the reduction of chlorophyll can be targeted to specific organelles in the transgenic plant and thus can be used to reduce the green color at these sites. Thus it is possible to use the anti-sense RNA of a chlorophyll a/b binding protein as a means for degreening, for example fruits, seeds or floral parts in transgenic plants.

Growing community of inventors

Edmonton, Canada

Anne M Johnson-Flanagan