Vlaams Interuniversitair Instituut Voor Biotechnologie Vzw

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Ku Leuven R&d

Vib Vzw

K.u. Leuven Research & Development

Cropdesign N.v.

Patrick Van Dijck

Ana Isabel Sanz Molinero

Gabriel Iturriaga De La Fuente

Johan M Thevelein

Christophe Van Vaeck

José Oscar Mascorro-Gallardo

Johan Thevelein

Barbara Leyman

Matthew Ramon

Filip Rolland

Lies Vandesteene

Nelson Avonce

A method for the preparation of a eukaryotic organism, for example selected from plants, animals and fungi, showing constitutive, inducible and/or organ specific expression of a specifically modified TPS gene, which comprises the steps of providing a TPS gene; designing a suitable modification to the TPS gene by aligning the gene with the corresponding gene of yeast and establishing which part of the gene extends beyond the 5' terminus of the yeast gene; deleting or inactivating a part of the N-terminal region of the TPS gene extending beyond the 5&#x2032; terminus of the yeast gene, in order to achieve an increased trehalose-6-phosphate synthase activity; cloning the thus modified gene into an expression vector under the control of a constitutive, inducible and/or organ-specific promoter; transforming a plant cell or tissue with the thus obtained expression vector; and regenerating a complete plant from the transformed plant cell or tissue.

Specific genetic modification of the activity of trehalose-6-phosphate synthase and expression in a homologous or heterologous environment

The present invention relates to the use of trehalose-6-phosphate synthase to modulate plant growth. More specifically, it relates to the use of a class II trehalose-6-phosphate synthase, comprising both a synthase and a phosphatase-like part to modulate plant growth. Preferably, the activity of trehalose-6-phosphate synthase is down-regulated to obtain an increased plant biomass yield.

Use of trehalose-6-phosphate synthase to modulate plant growth

Growing community of inventors

Zichem, Belgium

Patrick Van Dijck