Compositions and methods for enhancing oil content in plants
The present invention provides transgenic plants with altered oil content. The invention further provides nucleic acid sequences and methods for generating such plants.
1. A transgenic algae transformed with an expression construct comprising a heterologous promoter operably linked to a nucleic acid molecule selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 13, 14, 47 or 48, or a nucleic acid molecule having at least 95% identity to said nucleic acid molecule.
2. The transgenic algae of claim 1 , wherein the promoter is selected from the group consisting of a constitutive promoter and an inducible promoter.
3. The transgenic algae of claim 1 , wherein said algae is selected from the group consisting of Neochloris oleoabundans, Scenedesmus dimorphus, Euglena gracilis, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Pleurochlysis carterae, Tetraselmis chui, Tetraselmis suecica, Isochrysis galbana, Nannochloropsis salina, Nannochloropsis oculata, Botryococcus braunii, Dunaliella tertiolecta, Nannochloris sp., Spirulina sp., Chlorella sp., Oypthecodinium cohnii, Cylindrotheca sp., Dunaliella primolecta, Monallanthus salina, Nitzschia sp., Schizochytrium sp. and Tetraselmis sueica.
4. The transgenic algae of claim 1 , wherein said algae is selected from the group consisting of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Chlorella vulgaris and Phaeodactylum tricornutum.
5. A method for altering the oil content in C reinhardtii algae, comprising introducing into the C. reinhardtii algae a construct comprising a heterologous promoter operably linked to a nucleic acid molecule selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 13, 14, 47 or 48, or a nucleic acid molecule having at least 95% identity to said nucleic acid molecule, and wherein the oil content of the C. reinhardtii algae is altered.
6. The transgenic algae of claim 1 , wherein said nucleic acid has at least 98% identity to SEQ ID NO. 13, 14, 47 or 48.
7. The transgenic algae of claim 1 , wherein the transgenic algae belongs to phyla Chlorophyta.
8. The transgenic algae of claim 1 , wherein the transgenic algae is C. reinhardtii and wherein the transgenic algae has increased oil content relative to a non-transgenic control algae.
9. The method according to claim 5 , wherein said nucleic acid has at least 98% identity to SEQ ID NO. 13, 14, 47 or 48.
10. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising growing said C. reinhardtii algae following introducing said construct and identifying algae having altered oil content.