Basf Plant Science Gmbh

Zeneca Limited

Exseed Genetics LLC

Hanping Guan

Peter Lewis Keeling

Angela L McKean

Deborah Wetterberg

Mary E Knight

The invention provides transgenic corn seed, which expresses a gene encoding a double mutant of theglgC gene in endosperm plastids, wherein the mutant protein has a proline to aspartic acid substitution at amino acid 295 and a glutamic acid to lysine substitution at amino acid 296. The transgenic corn seed of the invention is characterized by enhanced levels of a number of amino acids and oil, when compared to isogenic corn seed, which does not express the transgene in an endosperm plastid. However, the amount of starch in the transgenic corn seed of the invention is decreased or unchanged when compared to the amount of starch in the isogenic control corn seed.

Transgenic corn having enhanced nutritional qualities

The invention relates to hosts containing constructs with genes from the starch pathway. More typically the present invention relates to bacterial hosts that form plant like starches. Additionally the present invention relates to plant hosts that have genes from the starch pathway. The invention further relates to the starches produced by said hosts.

Plant like starches and the method of making them in hosts

The present invention relates to a recombinant nucleic acid encoding a hybrid polypeptide which comprises a transit peptide for the translocation of the polypeptide into an appropriate organelles such as plastids, a starch-encapsulating region from maize starch synthase and a payload polypeptide, wherein said payload polypeptide can be either N- or C-terminal to the starch encapsulating region. The invention also relates to the expression vectors comprising said nucleic acid, and hosts comprising the said vector. Also, the invention encompasses methods of producing the hybrid polypeptide thereof from starch and particularly from starch granules, and industrial uses of the payload polypeptide recombinantly produced in said hybrid polypeptide wherein said payload polypeptide is a biologically active molecule.

Starch encapsulation

Hybrid polypeptides are provided formed with encapsulating regions from genes that encode for anabolic proteins. More particularly, the present invention relates to recombinant nucleic acid molecules that code for genes which encapsulate an attached protein within a matrix; preferably, these genes encapsulate a desired ('payload') polypeptide within starch, and more specifically within the starch granule matrix. Expression vectors comprising these recombinant nucleic acid molecules, and hosts therefor, and more specifically the starch-bearing portions of such hosts, transformed with such vectors, are also provided. Preferably, grain containing a foreign protein encapsulated within the starch is provided, useful to produce mammalian, fish and avian food. The invention also encompasses methods of producing purified protein from starch and particularly from starch granules, and industrial uses of such protein.

A method of producing a plant with novel starch-synthesising ability comprises stably incorporating into the genome of a recipient plant at least one target gene encoding an enzyme involved in a starch or glycogen biosynthetic pathway. A plant with novel starch-synthesising ability may have novel starch quality (eg altered fine structure). Starch or glycogen biosynthetic enzymes include soluble starch synthase, branching enzyme, glycogen synthase, ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, self-glucosylating protein, glycogenin and amylogenin. Mutants involving said enzymes for use in this method are described, including specific gene-dosage combinations which provide novel starch fine structures and starch properties. DNA constructs for use in this method are described, as well as plants transformed with said DNA constructs, the seeds and progeny of such plants, and hybrids whose pedigree includes such plants.

Growing community of inventors

Ames, IA, United States of America

Hanping Guan