Other

Novozymes A/s

University of Copenhagen

Plant Genetic Systems N.v.

Bayer Bioscience N.v.

Cellucomp Limited

Peter Ulvskov

Johan Botterman

Els Prinsen

Henri Van Onckelen

Robin Child

Bernhard Borkhardt

Gert Bundgard Poulsen

Morten Petersen

Lilli Sander

Henrik Clausen

Lisbeth Kalum

Henrik Lund

Eric Whale

David Hepworth

Eric Bennett

Zhang Yang

Bjoern Lennart Pierre Alexander Cassland

Bodil Jørgensen

Damian Paul Drew

Emma Adhiambo Arigi

Steven B Levery

Brent Larsen Petersen

Bodil Jorgensen

Bjoern Lennart Cassland

Processes for producing cellulose microfibrils from herbaceous plant material using enzyme compositions, the cellulose microfibrils obtained from the processes and their uses, and compositions comprising the cellulose microfibrils are described.

Cellulose microfibrils

This invention discloses the development of a novel platform for recombinant production of bioactive glycoproteins and cancer specific vaccines in plants. Plants and plant cell cultures have been humanized with respect to human mucin-type protein O-glycosylation. A panel of plant cell factories for production of recombinant glycoproteins with designed human O-glycosylation, including an improved cancer vaccine candidate, has been developed. The platform provides basis for i) production of an essentially unlimited array of O-glycosylated human glycoprotein therapeutics, such as human interferon &#x3b1;2B and podoplanin, and ii) for further engineering of additional cancer specific O-glycans on glycoproteins of therapeutical value. Currently, mammalian cells are required for human O-glycosylation, but plants offer a unique cell platform for engineering O-glycosylation since they do not perform human type O-glycosylation. Introduction of O-glycosylation into plant cells requires i) that wild-type plant cells do not modify the target peptide substrates and ii) that the appropriate enzymes and substrates are introduced into of plant cells such that O-glycosylation in the secretory pathway proceed and the glycosylated peptide substrates are preferentially exported to the exterior of the cell or accumulated in the cell. In this invention i) the integrity of transiently and stably expressed 'mucin' type target peptides in plants cells has been determined and ii) mucin-type O-glycosylation has been established in plants by transient and stable introduction of aC4-epimerase, the human polypeptide GalNAc-transferases T2 and T4 (GalNAc-T2 and T4) and various human target peptides or proteins. In the present invention GalNAc-T2 and -T4 have been used to produce a Tn cancer glycoform of MUC1.

Methods for glyco-engineering plant cells for controlled human O-glycosylation

&ldquo;The present invention relates to DNA sequences, comprising nucleic acid fragments encoding dehiscence zone-selective proteins, particularly cell wall hydrolases such as polygalacturonases, and their use for modifying dehiscence properties in plants, more particularly pod dehiscence properties in

Seed shattering

A plant is provided which contains at least one dehiscence zone (DZ)-selective chimeric gene incorporated in the nuclear genome of its cells, wherein said DZ-selective chimeric gene comprises the following operably linked DNA fragments: a) a transcribed DNA region encoding: 1) a RNA which, when produced in cells of a particular DZ of the plant, prevents, inhibits or reduces the expression in DZ cells of an endogenous gene of the plant encoding a cell wall hydrolase, particularly an endopolygalacturonase, or, 2) a protein or polypeptide, which when produced in DZ cells, kills or disables them or interferes with their normal metabolism, physiology or development; b) a plant expressible promoter which directs expression of transcribed DNA region at least in DZ cells, provided that if transcribed DNA region encodes a protein or polypeptide, or encodes an antisense RNA or ribozyme directed to a sense RNA encoded by an endogenous gene that is expressed in plant in cells other than DZ cells, plant expressible promoter is a DZ-selective promoter, which directs expression of transcribed region selectively in DZ cells and wherein plant is characterized by modified dehiscence properties, preferably delayed dehiscence, when compared to a plant not containing DZ-selective chimeric gene.

Growing community of inventors

Charlottenlund, Denmark

Peter Ulvskov