Claims
- 1. A transgenic plant transformed with a nucleic acid sequence encoding the protein of SEQ ID NO:2, wherein the protein has the activity of a geranylgeranyl reductase, wherein the nucleic acid sequence is transcribed in said transgenic plant.
- 2. The plant according to claim 1, wherein the protein having the activity of a geranylgeranyl reductase is expressed in the transgenic plant.
- 3. The plant according to claim 1, which exhibits an increased tocopherol content in comparison to a wild-type plant.
- 4. The plant according to claim 1, wherein said plant is a dicot.
- 5. The plant according to claim 4, which is a crop plant, food and/or forage plant, selected from the group consisting of rape, soybean, tomato, potato, sugar beet, and clover.
- 6. The plant according to claim 1, wherein said plant is a monocot.
- 7. The plant according to claim 6, which is selected from the group consisting of a crop plant, a forage plant, a cereal plant a wheat, barley, maize, oats, rye, rice, a sweet grass and pasture grass plant.
- 8. The plant according to claim 1, wherein the nucleic acid sequence is integrated into the plant genome.
- 9. A transgenic plant cell, which contains an isolated nucleic acid sequence coding for the protein of SEQ ID NO:2 and having the activity of a geranylgeranyl reductase, wherein the nucleic acid sequence is transcribed in the transgenic plant cell.
- 10. A plant cell according to claim 9, which exhibits an increased tocopherol content in comparison to a non-transformed plant cell.
- 11. A method for producing a plant or plant cell comprising the following steps:a) producing a nucleic acid sequence, comprising the following constituents, fused in 5′-3′ orientation: a promoter functional in plants, preferably a seed-specific promoter, a nucleic acid sequence which codes for the protein of SEQ ID NO:2, wherein the protein has geranylgeranyl reductase activity, and optionally, a terminal signal for the termination of transcription and addition of a poly-A-tail to the corresponding transcript, as well as, optionally, DNA sequences deduced therefrom; b) transferring the nucleic acid sequence from step a) to plant cells and, optionally, integration of the nucleic acid sequence into the plant genome c) if desired, regenerating completely transformed plants, and optionally, propagating the plants.
- 12. A transgenic plant produced according to the method of claim 11.
- 13. A method of obtaining tocopherols comprising obtaining the transgenic plant of claim 1 and isolating tocopherols from the transgenic plant.
- 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the plant or plant cell exhibits an increased tocopherol content.
- 15. The plant according to claim 1 wherein the nucleic acid sequence encodes a protein from tobacco.
- 16. The plant according to claim 1 wherein the nucleic acid sequence comprises SEQ ID NO:1.
- 17. The plant according to claim 1 wherein the nucleic acid sequence further encodes a regulatory element.
- 18. The plant according to claim 1 wherein the nucleic acid sequence further comprises a promoter.
- 19. The plant according to claim 18 wherein the promoter is a constitutive promoter.
- 20. The plant according to claim 18 wherein the promoter is an inducible promoter.
- 21. The plant according to claim 18 wherein the promoter is a tissue-specific promoter.
- 22. The plant according to claim 18 wherein the promoter is a developmental specific promoter.
- 23. The plant according to claim 18 wherein the promoter is a seed-specific promoter.
- 24. The plant according to claim 1 wherein the nucleic acid sequence further encodes enhancer sequences.
- 25. The plant according to claim 1 wherein the nucleic acid sequence further encodes signal peptides.
- 26. The plant according to claim 1 wherein the nucleic acid sequence is in anti-sense orientation.
- 27. A plant cell of the transgenic plant of claim 1, wherein the plant cell comprises the nucleic acid sequence encoding the protein of SEQ ID NO:2.
- 28. Progeny of the transgenic plant of claim 1, wherein each of the progeny comprises the nucleic acid sequence encoding the protein of SEQ ID NO:2.
- 29. A seed produced by the transgenic plant of claim 1, wherein the seed comprises the nucleic acid sequence encoding the protein of SEQ ID NO:2.
- 30. Transgenic propagation material derived from the plant of claim 1, wherein the material comprises an isolated nucleic acid sequence encoding a protein comprising SEQ ID NO:2.
- 31. The transgenic propagation material of claim 30, that is a protoplast, a callus, or a cutting.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
197 47 739 |
Oct 1997 |
DE |
|
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/EP98/06851, filed on Oct. 29, 1998, which in turn is an international filing of German Patent Application No. 19747739.9 filed on Oct. 29, 1997, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Non-Patent Literature Citations (2)
Entry |
Shewmaker et al, “Seed-specific overexpression of phytoene synthase: increase in carotenoids and other metabolic effects”, 1999, The Plant Journal vol. 20 No. 4, pp. 401-412.* |
Burkhardt et al, Transgenic rice (Oryza sativa) endosperm expressing daffodil (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) phytoene synthase . . . A bioysynthese, 1997, The Plant Journal vol. 11 No. 5, pp. 1071-1078. |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
PCT/EP98/06851 |
Oct 1998 |
US |
Child |
09/564367 |
|
US |