The Texas A&M University System

Ganesan Sunilkumar

Keerti S Rathore

LeAnne M Campbell

Avutu Sambi Reddy

Avutu S Reddy

James P Connell

A method is disclosed for reducing the level of gossypol in cottonseed. The method generally includes selectively inducing RNA gene silencing in the seed of a transgenic cotton plant, to interfere with expression of the &#x3b4;-cadinene synthase gene or the &#x3b4;-cadinene-8-hydroxylase gene in the seed of the cotton plant without substantially affecting expression of that gene in the foliage, floral parts, and roots of the plant. The transgenic cotton plant comprises at least one of a &#x3b4;-cadinene synthase gene trigger sequence and/or a &#x3b4;-cadinene-8-hydroxylase gene trigger sequence operably linked to one or more a seed-specific promoter gene sequences, and the trigger sequence(s) is/are able to induce RNA gene silencing when expressed in cottonseed of the plant. Also disclosed are expression cassettes, vectors, cells, seeds, and plants containing at least one of a &#x3b4;-cadinene synthase gene trigger sequence and/or a &#x3b4;-cadinene-8-hydroxylase gene trigger sequence operably linked to one ore more a seed-specific promoter DNA sequences.

Cotton plant with seed-specific reduction in gossypol

A method is disclosed for reducing the level of gossypol in cottonseed. The method generally includes selectively inducing RNA gene silencing in the seed of a transgenic cotton plant, to interfere with expression of the &#x3b4;-cadinene synthase gene or the &#x3b4;-cadinene-8-hydroxylase gene in the seed of the cotton plant without substantially affecting expression of that gene in the foliage, floral parts, and roots of the plant. The transgenic cotton plant comprises at least one of a &#x3b4;-cadinene synthase gene trigger sequence and/or a &#x3b4;-cadinene-8-hydroxylase gene trigger sequence operably linked to one or more a seed-specific promoter gene sequences, and the trigger sequence(s) is/are able to induce RNA gene silencing when expressed in cottonseed of the plant. Also disclosed are expression cassettes, vectors, cells, seeds, and plants containing at least one of a &#x3b4;-cadinene synthase gene trigger sequence and/or a &#x3b4;-cadinene-8-hydroxylase gene trigger sequence operably linked to one or more a seed-specific promoter DNA sequences.

The present invention is directed to 5' regulatory regions of a cotton seed-specific gene, &#x3b1;-globulin. The 5&#x2032; regulatory region, or parts thereof, when operably linked to either the coding sequence of a native gene, heterologous gene or a sequence complementary to a native plant gene, direct expression of the coding sequence or complementary sequence in a plant seed. The regulatory regions are useful in expression cassettes and expression vectors for the transformation of plants. Also provided are methods of modulating the levels of a native or heterologous gene such as a fatty acid synthesis or lipid metabolism gene by transforming a plant with the subject expression cassettes and expression vectors.

Growing community of inventors

College Station, TX, United States of America

Ganesan Sunilkumar