Other

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

Thomas Leustek

Nilgun Ereken Tumer

Disclosed are transgenic plants having edible portions that produce methional during processing. The plants contain increased methionine levels such that upon processing of the edible portion(s), methional levels are increased and lead to food products that possess improved flavor stability and/or quality. Plants of the Solanaceous family e.g., potato, tomato and eggplant, and other methional-producing plants including maize and soybean, are preferred plants. Several ways of genetically engineering plants to produce increased free Met levels are disclosed, with introduction of a non-native nucleic acid encoding cystathionine gamma synthase (CGS) and tissue-specific expression of an anti-sense S-adenosyl-methionine synthetase being preferred. Also disclosed are methods for selecting transformed plant cells using ethionine and CGS as the selection agent and marker gene respectively.

Method for selecting transformed plant cells using ethionine and cystathionine gamma synthase as the selection agent and marker gene

Methods for modulating levels of at least one organic sulfur compound in plants are provided. Also provided are plants, plant seeds, and plant cells produced by the methods. The methods comprise stably transforming a plant with a DNA construct encoding at least one APS reductase enzyme or PAPS reductase enzyme (herein, &ldquo;(P)APS reductase&rdquo;) so that the transformed plant exhibits altered levels of at least one organic sulfur compound. APS reductase is an enzyme classified as EC 1.8.4.9 and PAPS reductase is an enzyme classified as EC 1.8.99.4; these enzymes are capable of reducing sulfur in the form of APS or PAPS to produce sulfite. Also provided are methods for reducing oxidative stress in plants and for increasing the nutritional quality of plants and seeds.

Growing community of inventors

Union, NJ, United States of America

Thomas Leustek