University of Kentucky Research Foundation

George J Wagner

Erming Wang

Ryan Shepherd

Rui Wang

Guiliang Tang

Susheng Gan

Ryan W Sheperd

Antoaneta Borissova Mahaylova-Kroumova

The present invention provides a method for increasing the sucrose ester content of a tobacco plant or tobacco cell culture, the method comprising modifying said tobacco plant or tobacco cell culture by inhibiting the activity or expression of a diterpene synthesis gene. The present invention also provides for the use of a diterpene synthesis gene for increasing the sucrose ester content of a tobacco plant or tobacco cell culture, as well as tobacco cells, tobacco plants, tobacco plant propagation materials, harvested leaves, processed tobaccos, or tobacco products obtainable in accordance with the invention.

Method of producing tobacco plants with increased sucrose ester content

The present invention relates to plant proteins produced by a plant's epidermal layer that contribute to the innate pest/disease resistance of the plant ('phylloplanins'), compositions comprising the phylloplanins and methods of using them. In particular the methods relate to inhibiting or preventing microbial, e.g., fungal or bacterial, growth on a subject, organism or surface by administering a phylloplanin. The invention also relates to transformed host cells that produce phylloplanins, and to transgenic plants producing phylloplanins conferring increased resistance to microbial infections/growth.

Utility of phylloplanins as antibiotics, selective fungicides and for enhancing microbial resistance in plants

The invention is directed to methods and compositions that inhibit pathogen proliferation. More particularly, these methods and compositions involve the use of phylloplane proteins as antibiotics against human and animal pathogens.

Utility of phylloplanins as antibiotics, selective fungicides and for enhancing microbial resistance in crop plants

A method and system is provided for generating excreted gene products in a plant which includes generating a nucleic acid fusion construct comprising a phylloplanin promoter and a selected non-phylloplanin nucleic acid sequence whose transcription product is to be expressed and delivered to an aerial surface of a plant. The method includes transfecting plant cells with the nucleic acid fusion construct and allowing the plant cells to express the non-phylloplanin nucleic acid sequence transcription product which is then excreted from the plant cells to the aerial surfaces.

Method utilizing the tobacco phylloplanin promoter for expression of nucleic acids as gene products directed to aerial surfaces of plants

The present invention relates to a trichome specific regulatory sequence.

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Lexington, KY, United States of America

George J Wagner