Genes encoding novel lipid transporters and their use to increase oil production in vegetative tissues of plants
The present invention discloses a novel gene encoding a transporter protein trigalactosyldiacylglycerol-5 (TGD5), mutations thereof and their use to enhance TAG production and retention in plant vegetative tissue.
1. A composition comprising the nucleotide sequence SEQ ID NO: 3.
2. A composition comprising the amino acid sequence SEQ ID NO: 4.
3. A composition comprising the nucleotide sequence SEQ ID NO: 3 or the amino acid sequence SEQ ID NO: 4 that results in diminished trigalactosyldiacylglycerol-5 (TGD5) protein function or activity as compared to an otherwise identical plant.
4. The composition of claim 3 wherein said composition is a plant, progeny having the same genotype as the plant, or seeds having the same genotype as the plant.
5. The plant of claim 4 further comprising an increased copy number selected from the group consisting of genes encoding phospholipid: diacylglycerol acyltransferase (PDAT), genes encoding oleosin (OLE), genes encoding WRINKLED1 (WRI1), and combinations thereof.
6. The plant of claim 5 further comprising an increased copy number of genes encoding phospholipid:diacylglycerol acyltransferase (PDAT), and an increased copy number of genes encoding oleosin (OLE), and an increased copy number of genes encoding WRINKLED1 (WRI1).
7. The plant of claim 4 further comprising a defective sugar-dependent 1 TAG lipase gene (sdpl).
8. The plant of claim 4 wherein diminished amounts of wild type TGD5 as compared to wild type amounts of wild type TGD5 are expressed.
9. A method for increasing production and retention of oil in vegetative tissues of a plant, the method comprising: providing a plant comprising: a) the nucleotide sequence SEQ ID NO: 3 or the amino acid sequence SEQ ID NO: 4, and further comprising b) increased expression levels of a gene encoding phospholipid:diacylglycerol acyltransferase (PDAT), and c) increased expression levels of a gene encoding oleosin (OLE); and growing said plant to accumulate oil in vegetative tissues of said plant.
10. The method of claim 9 , additionally comprising extracting said oil from said plant.
11. A method for enhancing the caloric content of vegetative tissue of a plant comprising: providing a plant comprising the nucleotide sequence SEQ ID NO: 3 or the amino acid sequence SEQ ID NO: 4; and growing said plant to accumulate in vegetative tissues of said plant.
12. A method for enhancing the caloric content of vegetative tissue of a plant comprising: providing a plant comprising the nucleotide sequence SEQ ID NO: 3 or the amino acid sequence SEQ ID NO: 4 and further comprising a defective sugar-dependent1 TAG lipase (sdp1) gene; and growing said plant to accumulate oil in vegetative tissues of said plant.