Modification of plant metabolism
A transgenic plant is prepared by a method in which a plant cell is transformed with a chimaeric gene comprising a promoter and a gene encoding a polypeptide which displays the activity of an enzyme which regulates the amount of a metabolic intermediate in glycolysis or in a pathway for the synthesis or degradation of starch, sucrose or reducing sugar from a glycolytic intermediate.
1. A process for the preparation of transgenic plant, which process comprises:
(i) transforming a plant cell with a chimeric gene comprising (a) a promoter that directs gene expression in a plant, said promoter being operably linked to (b) a coding sequence which encodes for phosphofructokinase; and
(ii) regenerating a plant from the transformed plant cell; wherein expression of said chimeric gene in said regenerated plant causes a modification of the amount of a metabolic intermediate:
(a) in the pre-existing intracellular pathway of glycolysis,
(b) in the pre-existing intracellular pathway for the synthesis or degradation of starch, or
(c) in the pre-existing intracellular pathway for the synthesis or degradation of sucrose or reducing sugar.
2. The process of claim 1 , wherein said chimeric gene also comprises a coding sequence encoding a second enzyme.
3. The process of claim 1 , wherein said chimeric gene is expressed in a tuber of said regenerated plant.
4. The process of claim 1 , wherein said chimeric gene is expressed in a seed of said regenerated plant.
5. The process of claim 1 , wherein the coding sequence is from a plant gene.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coding sequence is from a non-plant gene.
7. A transgenic plant comprising a chimeric gene which comprises;
(a) a promoter that directs gene expression in a plant, said promoter being operably linked to
(b) a coding sequence which encodes phosphofructokinase, wherein expression of said chimeric gene in said transgenic plant causes a modification of the amount of a metabolic intermediate:
(i) in the pre-existing intracellular pathway of glycolysis,
(ii) in the pre-existing intracellular pathway for the synthesis or degradation of starch, or
(iii) in the pre-existing intracellular pathway for the synthesis or degradation of sucrose or reducing sugar.
8. The transgenic plant of claim 7 , wherein the chimeric gene also comprises a coding sequence that encodes a second enzyme.