Fibria Celulose S/a

Monsanto Do Brasil Ltda.

Fibria Cellulose S/a

Isabel Rodrigues Gerhardt

Paulo Arruda

Fabio Papes

Modulating in planta expression of a gene encoding WALLDOF, a transcription factor involved in plant cell wall biogenesis, results in increased cell wall deposition and higher plant biomass density.

Increasing cell wall deposition and biomass density in plants

In angiosperm and gymnosperm plants, overexpressing a SAMdc nucleotide sequence can decrease lignin content and, for plants with woody tissue, increase wood density.

Altering lignin and wood density

Nucleic acid constructs and methods are disclosed for modifying fiber length, plant height, and/or plant biomass in plant tissues. Plants are genetically engineered with constructs encoding anwall-associated kinase gene, which alters fiber length and/or plant height when overexpressed under the control of a cambium/xylem preferred promoter. Plant transformants harboring a wall-associated kinase gene show increased fiber length, a trait that is thought to improve woody trees for pulping and papermaking.

Nucleic acid constructs methods for altering plant fiber length and/or plant height

The present invention relates to nucleic acid molecules corresponding to regulatory portions of genes whose expression is predominant in cambium and/or xylem. The invention also relates to compositions and methods of using the same to regulate the expression, in a cambium/xylem-preferred manner, of genes and/or any kind of nucleotide sequences in a plant. Nucleic acid molecules and its compositions include novel nucleotide sequences for cambium/xylem-preferred promoters identified and isolated from poplar (spp). Methods for expressing genes and/or any kind of nucleotide sequences in a plant using the promoter sequences disclosed herein are provided. The methods comprise stably incorporating into the genome of a plant cell a nucleotide sequence operably linked to a cambium/xylem-preferred promoter of the present invention and regenerating a stably transformed plant that expresses the nucleotide sequence.

Cambium/xylem-preferred promoters and uses thereof

Polynucleotides, nucleic acid constructs, and methods are disclosed for the modification of cellulose and/or lignin content in plant tissues. Plants are genetically engineered with a gene encoding a C3HC4 protein, which leads to increased cellulose content when over-expressed in the plant vascular system. Plant transformants harboring the C3HC4 protein gene show increased content of cellulose and/or decreased lignin content, traits that are thought to improve hardwood trees for cellulose extraction during pulping and papermaking.

Growing community of inventors

Campinas, Brazil

Isabel Rodrigues Gerhardt