Reducing levels of nicotinic alkaloids in plants
View Patent ↗Two genes, A622 and NBB1, can be influenced to achieve a decrease of nicotinic alkaloid levels in plants. In particular, suppression of one or both of A622 and NBB1 may be used to decrease nicotine in tobacco plants.
1. A tobacco product comprising reduced-nicotine tobacco from a genetically engineered reduced-tobacco plant in which a gene product encoded by SEQ ID NO: 3 is suppressed, wherein the plant comprises a nucleic acid construct comprising in the 5′ to 3′ direction, a promoter operably linked to a heterologous nucleic acid encoding SEQ ID NO: 4 in sense orientation or antisense orientation, or in sense and antisense orientation, and a terminator.
2. The tobacco product of claim 1 , wherein the product is selected from the group consisting of a cigarette, cigarette tobacco, a cigar, cigar tobacco, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, snuff, snus, leaf tobacco, shredded tobacco and cut tobacco.
3. The tobacco product of claim 2 , wherein the product is a cigarette.
4. The tobacco product of claim 2 , wherein the product is cigarette tobacco.
5. The tobacco product of claim 2 , wherein the product is a cigar.
6. The tobacco product of claim 2 , wherein the product is cigar tobacco.
7. The tobacco product of claim 2 , wherein the product is pipe tobacco.
8. The tobacco product of claim 2 , wherein the product is chewing tobacco.
9. The tobacco product of claim 1 , wherein the reduced-nicotine tobacco plant is engineered by introducing into a plant cell of the plant a nucleic acid construct comprising, in the 5′ to 3′ direction, a promoter operably linked to a heterologous nucleic acid encoding SEQ ID NO: 4 in sense or antisense orientation, and a terminator.
10. The tobacco product of claim 1 , wherein the product is characterized by a reduced collective amount of N′-nitrosonornicotine (NNN), 4-methylnitrosoamino-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NKK), N′-nitrosoanatabine (NAT) and N′ nitrosoanabasine (NAB) relative to a tobacco product prepared from a control tobacco plant in which SEQ ID NO: 3 is not suppressed.
11. The tobacco product of claim 10 , wherein the tobacco product is selected from the group consisting of a cigarette, cigarette tobacco, a cigar, cigar tobacco, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, snuff, snus, leaf tobacco, shredded tobacco and cut tobacco.
12. The tobacco product of claim 11 , wherein the product is a cigarette.
13. The tobacco product of claim 11 , wherein the product is cigarette tobacco.
14. The tobacco product of claim 11 , wherein the product is a cigar.
15. The tobacco product of claim 11 , wherein the product is cigar tobacco.
16. The tobacco product of claim 11 , wherein the product is pipe tobacco.
17. The tobacco product of claim 11 , wherein the product is chewing tobacco.
18. The tobacco product of claim 11 , wherein the product is characterized by a reduced amount of 4-methylnirtosoamino-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NKK) relative to the amount in a tobacco product prepared from a non-transformed control tobacco plant.
19. The tobacco product of claim 18 , wherein the tobacco product is selected from the group consisting of a cigarette, cigarette tobacco, a cigar, cigar tobacco, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, snuff, snus, leaf tobacco, shredded tobacco and cut tobacco.
20. The tobacco product of claim 19 , wherein the product is a cigarette.
21. The tobacco product of claim 19 , wherein the product is cigarette tobacco.
22. The tobacco product of claim 19 , wherein the product is a cigar.
23. The tobacco product of claim 19 , wherein the product is cigar tobacco.
24. The tobacco product of claim 19 , wherein the product is pipe tobacco.
25. The tobacco product of claim 19 , wherein the product is chewing tobacco.