Polynucleotides encoding choline monooxygenase and plants transformed therewith

US6310271A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• University of Florida Research Foundation, INC. · US

Inventors

• Andrew Hanson · Gainesville, US
• Bala Rathinasabapathi · Gainesville, US
• Michael Burnet · Bingen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 8, 1998
• Grant date: Oct 30, 2001
• Expiry date: Jan 8, 2018

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C12N15/8273
• WIPO field: Biotechnology
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A full length choline monooxygenase (CMO) cDNA was cloned from spinach and used to transform plants which do not naturally express CMO. A method is presented to improve stress tolerance of crops following engineering of CMO and BADH in plants that lack glycine betaine accumulation. Also provided are fragments useful as probes to isolate other CMO-type genes, and antisense sequences which inhibit the production of CMO. Reduction of glycine betaine as a consequence of antisense expression of CMO in species naturally accumulating glycine betaine, improves the transgenic plant's tolerance toward pathogens and pests and/or enhances its nutritional quality.