Amoco Corporation

Court A Saunders

Joseph Chappell

Richard E Cuellar

Indrani Mukharji

A process of increasing squalene and sterol accumulation in a transgenic plant by increasing the amount of a gene encoding a polypeptide having HMG-CoA reductase activity is disclosed. The amount is preferably increased by transforming plant cells with a recombinant DNA molecule comprising a vector operatively linked to an exogenous DNA segment that encodes a polypeptide having HMG-CoA reductase activity, and a promoter suitable for driving the expression of said polypeptide to form a transformed plant cell and regenerating a transgenic plant from that transformed cell. Also disclosed are a process of increasing pest resistance in a transgenic plant, transgenic plants and transgenic seeds capable of germinating into transgenic plants.

Process and composition for increasing squalene and sterol accumulation

A method of increasing the accumulation of squalene and specific sterols in yeast comprising increasing the expression level of a structural gene encoding a polypeptide having HMG-CoA reductase activity in a mutant yeast having single or double defects in the expression of sterol biosynthetic enzymes is provided. The expression level of a structural gene is preferably increased by transforming yeast with a recombinant DNA molecule comprising a vector operatively linked to an exogenous DNA segment that encodes a polypeptide having HMG-CoA reductase activity and a promoter that is suitable for driving the expression of the encoded polypeptide in the transformed yeast. The polypeptide having HMG-CoA reductase activity is preferably a truncated, active HMG-CoA reductase enzyme. Recombinant DNA molecules useful for transforming yeast and mutant yeast transformed with such recombinant DNA molecules are also disclosed.

Method and composition for increasing the accumulation of squalene and

A method of increasing sterol accumulation in a plant by increasing the copy number of a gene encoding a polypeptide having HMG-CoA reductase activity is disclosed. The copy number is preferably increased by transforming plants with a recombinant DNA molecule comprising a vector operatively linked to an exogenous DNA segment that encodes a polypeptide having HMG-CoA reductase activity, and a promoter suitable for driving the expression of said polypeptide. Also disclosed are a method of increasing cycloartenol accumulation in a plant, a method of increasing the resistance of plants to pests and the transformed plants themselves.

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Clarendon Hills, IL, United States of America

Court A Saunders