IP Library Granted Patent US 10,421,975
Granted Patent B2
US 10,421,975 · App. 15/627,006 · Granted Sep 24, 2019

14-3-3 proteins enhance WRINKLED1 transcription factor-regulated oil production

Inventors: Christoph Benning (East Lansing, MI); John B. Ohlrogge (Okemos, MI); Wei Ma (Lansing, MI); Que Kong (Lansing, MI)
Assignee: Board of Trustees of Michigan State University
C12N15/8247C07K14/415C12N15/8261Y02A40/146
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,421,975
App. No.
15/627,006
Granted
Sep 24, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

The application describes plants, plant cells, and seeds that express WRINKLED1 transcription factors and/or 14-3-3 proteins that are useful for increasing production of oils in plants and seeds. Also described are expression systems and cassettes that encode and express such WRINKLED1 transcription factors and/or 14-3-3 proteins.

Claims (20)

1. A plant, plant cell, or seed comprising a heterologous WRINKLED1 (WRI1) transcription factor and a heterologous 14-3-3 protein.

2. The plant, plant cell, or seed of claim 1 comprising a heterologous WRI1 transcription factor comprising at least 90% amino acid sequence identity to any of SEQ ID NOs: 1-31, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, or 65.

3. The plant, plant cell, or seed of claim 1 comprising a heterologous 14-3-3 protein factor comprising at least 90% amino acid sequence identity to any of SEQ ID NOs: 67, 69-74 or 75.

4. The plant, plant cell, or seed of claim 1 , wherein the plant, plant cell, or plant seed is a food, vegetable oil, seed oil, forage, or fodder plant, plant cell, or plant seed.

5. The plant, plant cell, or seed of claim 1 , wherein the plant, plant cell, or plant seed has about 0.5% to about 40% oil content.

6. The plant, plant cell, or seed of claim 1 , wherein the plant, plant cell, or plant seed is an alfalfa, algae, avocado, barley, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, canola, cassava, cauliflower, cole vegetables, collards, crucifers, grain legumes, forage grasses, jatropa, kale, kohlrabi, maize, miscanthus, mustards, nut sedge, oats, oil firewood trees, oilseeds, potato, radish, rapeseed, rice, rutabaga, sorghum, soybean, sugar beets, sugarcane, sunflower, switchgrass, tobacco, tomato, turnips, or wheat plant, plant cell, or plant seed.

7. A nucleic acid encoding WRINKLED1 (WRI1) transcription factor and a heterologous 14-3-3 protein.

8. An expression system comprising a first expression cassette comprising a first promoter operably linked to a nucleic acid encoding a WRI1 transcription factor and a second expression cassette comprising a second promoter operably linked to a nucleic acid encoding a 14-3-3 protein.

9. The expression system of claim 8 , wherein the first expression cassette encodes a WRI1 transcription factor comprising at least 90% amino acid sequence identity to any of SEQ ID NOs: 1-31, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, or 65.

10. The expression system of claim 8 , wherein the second expression cassette encodes a 14-3-3 protein factor comprising at least 90% amino acid sequence identity to any of SEQ ID NOs: 67, 69-74 or 75.

11. The expression system of claim 8 , wherein the first promoter or the second promoter, or both of the first promoter and the second promoter, is an inducible promoter, a tissue-specific promoter, or a developmentally regulated promoter.

12. A method of generating oil comprising isolating tissues, cells, or seeds from the plant of claim 1 and extracting oil from the plant tissues, cells, or seeds.

13. A method comprising introducing a heterologous nucleic acid encoding a WRINKLED1 (WRI1) transcription factor and a 14-3-3 protein, or an expression system comprising a first expression cassette comprising a first promoter operably linked to a nucleic acid encoding a WRI1 transcription factor and a second expression cassette comprising a second promoter operably linked to a nucleic acid encoding a 14-3-3 protein, to generate one or more transgenic plant cells; and generating one or more transgenic plants from the one or more transgenic plant cells.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the WRI1 transcription factor comprises at least 90% amino acid sequence identity to any of SEQ ID NOs: 1-31, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, or 65.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the 14-3-3 protein factor comprises at least 90% amino acid sequence identity to any of SEQ ID NOs: 67, 69-74 or 75.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first promoter or the second promoter, or both of the first promoter and the second promoter, is an inducible promoter, a tissue-specific promoter, or a developmentally regulated promoter.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein one or more of the transgenic plant cells or transgenic plants has about 0.5% to about 40% oil content.

18. The method of claim 13 , further comprising collecting one or more transgenic seeds from at least one of the transgenic plant.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein one or more of the transgenic seeds has about 0.5% to about 40% oil content.

20. The method of claim 13 , wherein the transgenic plant cell, or the transgenic plant is an alfalfa, algae, avocado, barley, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, canola, cassava, cauliflower, cole vegetables, collards, crucifers, grain legumes, forage grasses, jatropa, kale, kohlrabi, maize, miscanthus, mustards, nut sedge, oats, oil firewood trees, oilseeds, potato, radish, rapeseed, rice, rutabaga, sorghum, soybean, sugar beets, sugarcane, sunflower, switchgrass, tobacco, tomato, turnips, or wheat plant, plant cell, or plant seed.

Assignments (2)
CONFIRMATORY LICENSE Recorded May 28, 2020
From: MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
To: UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Reel/Frame 052775/0437 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 14, 2017
From: BENNING, CHRISTOPH; OHLROGGE, JOHN B.; MA, WEI; KONG, QUE
To: BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Reel/Frame 043007/0633 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62352246 · Jun 20, 2016
Related Publication 20180094274A1 · Apr 5, 2018