University of California

University of Illinois

Krishna K Niyogi

Stephen P Long

Laurie Beth Leonelli

Cheryl A Kerfeld

Graham Peers

Patrick M Shih

Jan Zarzycki

Sabeeha Merchant

Rachel Dent

Melissa S Roth

Johannes Kromdijk

Katarzyna Glowacka

Stephane T Gabilly

Sean D Gallaher

Zhirong Li

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods of cultivating genetically altered plants with increased activity of the PsbS protein. These genetically altered plants have increased water use efficiency and substantially similar photosynthetic efficiency as compared to WT plants grown under the same conditions.

Plants with increased water use efficiency

The present disclosure provides a transgenic plant comprising one or more nucleotide sequences encoding polypeptides selected from photosystem II subunit S (PsbS), zeaxanthin epoxidase (ZEP), and violaxanthin de-epoxidase (VDE), operably linked to at least one expression control sequence. Expression vectors for making transgenic plants, and methods for increasing biomass production and/or carbon fixation and/or growth in a plant comprising increasing expression of at least one of PsbS, ZEP and VDE polypeptides are also provided.

Transgenic plants with increased photosynthesis efficiency and growth

The disclosure is directed to nucleic acid, host cell, and polypeptide compositions encoded by the unicellular green alga, methods of making such compositions, and method of using the compositions to produce astaxanthin.

Genes involved in astaxanthin biosynthesis

Methods and compositions to introduce a synthetic pathway based on the 3-hydroxypropionate bicycle into an organism such as the model cyanobacterium,sp. PCC 7942. The heterologously expressed pathway acts as a photorespiratory bypass as well as an additional carbon fixation cycle orthogonal to the endogenous Calvin-Benson cycle. We demonstrate the function of all six introduced enzymes, which not only has implications on increasing net-photosynthetic productivity, but also key enzymes in the pathway are involved in high-value products that are of biotechnological interest, such as 3-hydroxypropionate.

Constructs and systems and methods for engineering a COfixing photorespiratory by-pass pathway

This disclosure providesviolaxanthin de-epoxidase (CVDE) gene, polypeptides, and variants thereof as well as host cells that are genetically modified to express a CVDE polypeptide or variant. The disclosure additionally provides methods of producing such a genetically modified host cell and methods of using the cells , e.g., to increase zeaxanthin production.

[object Object]

Growing community of inventors

Oakland, CA, United States of America

Krishna K Niyogi