Compositions and methods for producing tobacco plants and products having altered alkaloid levels with desirable leaf quality

US11220695B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Altria Client Services LLC · US

Inventors

• Marcos Fernando de Godoy Lusso · Midlothian, US
• James Arthur Strickland · Richmond, US
• Jesse Frederick · Richmond, US
• Dongmei Xu · Glen Allen, US
• Chengalrayan Kudithipudi · Midlothian, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 4, 2019
• Grant date: Jan 11, 2022
• Expiry date: Mar 4, 2039

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C12N15/8261
• WIPO field: Biotechnology
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

The present disclosure includes methods and compositions for improving leaf quality in low-alkaloid tobacco plants, e.g., by combining inducible promoters and non-coding RNAs for suppression of an ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) gene. Also provided are low alkaloid tobacco plants with normal, suppressed, or otherwise altered polyamine levels. Further provided are tobacco plants with altered total alkaloid, nicotine levels, commercially acceptable leaf grade, their development via breeding or transgenic approaches, and production of tobacco products from these tobacco plants.