Animal feed compositions and methods of use
The invention provides an animal feed composition comprising microbial α-amylase, for example, an animal feed composition comprising transgenic plant material comprising a microbial α-amylase (e.g., a thermostable microbial α-amylase). The invention further provides methods of increasing animal performance and/or the efficiency of feed utilization by an animal (e.g., for milk or meat production), comprising feeding to the animal an animal feed composition of the present invention.
1. A method of increasing the amount of milk produced by a dairy animal, the method comprising feeding to the dairy animal an animal feed comprising transgenic maize plant material, wherein the transgenic maize plant material comprises a polynucleotide encoding a recombinant α-amylase, and wherein the recombinant α-amylase has at least about 80% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the amount of milk produced by the dairy animal is increased by at least about 2% as compared to the amount of milk produced by a control animal that is not provided the animal feed.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the amount of milk produced by the dairy animal is increased by about 2% to about 50% as compared with the amount of milk produced by a control animal that is not fed the animal feed.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dairy animal is a cow.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dairy animal is a goat.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the recombinant α-amylase has at least about 95% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polynucleotide comprises a nucleotide sequence having at least 80% sequence identity to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, and/or SEQ ID NO:3.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the alpha amylase is a thermostable alpha amylase.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the recombinant α-amylase is α-amylase 797GL3 or D45.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the maize plant material comprises maize event 3272.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the recombinant α-amylase is targeted away from its substrate.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the recombinant α-amylase is targeted to the chloroplast, vacuole, cytoplasm, apoplast or endoplasmic reticulum.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the recombinant α-amylase is targeted to the endoplasmic reticulum.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polynucleotide encoding the recombinant α-amylase is expressed in the kernel.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the animal feed comprises pellets, grain, silage, dry-rolled kernels, steam flaked kernels, whole kernels, coarsely cracked kernels, high moisture corn, or any combination thereof, comprising the transgenic maize plant material.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the animal feed comprises at least about 10% by weight on a dry matter basis of the transgenic maize plant material.
17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the animal feed is a total mixed ration comprising the transgenic maize plant material.
18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the animal feed comprises silage comprising the transgenic maize plant material.
19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the animal feed comprises dry-rolled kernels comprising the transgenic maize plant material.