Method for altering storage organ composition

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for altering or modifying the content and/or composition of one or more metabolites in the storage organs of a plant, at least comprising the expression of a sulfur-rich protein therein. In particular, the invention provides a method of modifying the fibre content and/or fibre composition and/or starch content and/or nitrogen content and/or non-sulfur-containing amino acid composition and/or anti-nutritional protein content and/or fatty acid content and/or fatty acid composition of the storage organs of a plant. The invention clearly extends to the plants produced by the performance of the inventive method and to genetic constructs which in use produce such plant material.

1 - 87 . (canceled)  
     
     
         88 . A method of modifying the amino acid composition of seeds of a plant, said method comprising: 
 (i) introducing into a plant a chimeric gene that comprises a structural gene sequence encoding sunflower seed albumin (SSA) placed upstream of a transcription termination sequence and operably in connection with a promoter sequence capable of conferring expression on said structural gene in the seeds of said plant; and    (ii) determining the amino acid composition of the seeds; 
 wherein the plant has a modified amino acid composition in the seeds thereof, as compared to a plant in which the chimeric gene is not expressed, and  
 wherein the plant is wheat, oats, maize, barley, rice, sorghum, millet, rye, safflower, sunflower, soybean, pea, bean, lentil, or chickpea.  
   
     
     
         89 . The method according to  claim 88  wherein the promoter sequence is the pea vicilin gene promoter and the plant is a dicotyledonous plant.  
     
     
         90 . The method according to  claim 88  wherein the promoter sequence is the pea vicilin gene promoter sequence and the transcription termination sequence is a vicilin gene transcription terminator sequence.  
     
     
         91 . The method according to  claim 89  wherein the plant is pea or chickpea.  
     
     
         92 . The method according to  claim 91  wherein the proportion of arginine relative to other amino acids is increased.  
     
     
         93 . A method of modifying the amino acid composition of seeds of a plant, said method comprising: 
 (i) introducing into a plant a chimeric gene that comprises a structural gene sequence encoding sunflower seed albumin (SSA) placed upstream of a transcription termination sequence and operably in connection with a promoter sequence capable of conferring expression on said structural gene in the seeds of said plant; and    (ii) determining whether the amino acid composition of the seeds of the plant is modified as compared to that of a plant in which the chimeric gene is not expressed,    wherein the plant is wheat, oats, maize, barley, rice, sorghum, millet, rye, safflower, sunflower, soybean, pea, bean, lentil, or chickpea.    
     
     
         94 . A method of modifying the content or composition, or content and composition, of a metabolite in the seed of a plant comprising: 
 (i) introducing into a plant a chimeric gene comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding a sunflower seed albumin protein placed operably in connection with a promoter sequence capable of conferring expression in the seed wherein the nucleotide sequence is expressed in the seed; and    (ii) determining the content or composition, or content and composition, of a metabolite in the seed, said metabolite selected from the group consisting of fatty acid, starch, soluble non-starch polysaccharide, insoluble non-starch polysaccharide, fibre and total protein nitrogen,    wherein the plant has a modified content or composition, or content and composition, of a metabolite in the seed thereof, as compared to a plant in which said chimeric gene is not expressed, and    wherein the plant is wheat, oats, maize, barley, rice, sorghum, millet, rye, safflower, sunflower, soybean, pea, bean, lentil, or chickpea.    
     
     
         95 . The method according to  claim 94 , wherein the total fibre content of the seed of the plant is increased or decreased by at least 5%.  
     
     
         96 . The method according to  claim 94 , wherein the total starch content of the seed of the plant is reduced by at least 10%.  
     
     
         97 . The method according to  claim 94 , wherein the total fatty acid content of the seed of the plant is increased or decreased by at least 5%.  
     
     
         98 . The method according to  claim 94 , wherein the content of any one fatty acid in the seed of the plant is increased or decreased by at least 5%.