E.i. Dupont De Nemours and Company

Michigan State University

Christopher R Somerville

Saverio Carl Falco

Narendra S Yadav

John R Bedbrook

Roy S Chaleff

Barbara J Mazur

Yves Poirier

Edgar Benjamin Cahoon

John B Ohlrogge

Douglas E Dennis

John Shanklin

Christiane Nawrath

The present invention relates to transgenic plants which produce poly-beta-D-hydroxybutyric acid (PHB) and related polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). The production of PHB is accomplished by genetically transforming the plants with modified genes from microorganisms. The genes encode the enzymes required to synthesize PHB from acetyl-CoA or related metabolites. PHB is a very useful polymer which is biodegradable.

Transgenic plants producing polyhydroxyalkanoates

The present invention relates to a process for producing poly-D-(-)-3-hydroxybutyric acid (PHB) and related polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) in the plastids of plants. The production of PHB is accomplished by genetically transforming plants with modified genes from microorganisms. The genes encode the enzymes required to synthesize PHB from acetyl-CoA or related metabolites and are fused with additional plant sequences for targeting the enzymes to the plastid.

Processes for producing polyhydroxybutyrate and related

A nucleic acid fragment encoding a herbicide-resistant plant acetolactate synthase protein is disclosed. This nucleic acid fragment contains at least one nucleotide mutation resulting in one amino acid change in one of seven substantially conserved regions of acetolactate synthase amino acid homology. This mutation results in the production of an acetolactate synthase protein which is resistant to sulfonylurea herbicide compounds compared to the wild-type protein. Transformation of herbicide sensitive plants or plant cells with the fragment results in resistance to the herbicide.

Nucleic acid fragment encoding herbicide resistant plant acetolactate

The present invention relates to a process for producing lipids containing the fatty acid petroselinic acid in plants. The production of petroselinic acid is accomplished by genetically transforming plants which do not normally accumulate petroselinic acid with a gene for a .omega.12 desaturase from another species which does normally accumulate petroselinic acid.

Method for production of petroselinic acid and OMEGA12 hexadecanoic acid

Growing community of inventors

Okemon, MI, United States of America

Christopher R Somerville