Production of increased oil and protein in plants by the disruption of the phenylpropanoid pathway

Abstract

The present invention provides methods and compositions relating to generating plants having increased levels of oil and protein. This invention further provides recombinant expression cassettes, host cells, transgenic plants and genetically altered plants. The invention further provides isolated polynucleotides and their encoded proteins that are involved in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis.

1 - 6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . A method of increasing oil content in a plant comprising disrupting the function of a protein in the phenylpropanoid pathway of the plant. 
     
     
         8 - 9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . A method of generating a plant having increased oil or protein content, as compared to a substantially similar plant not subjected to this method, comprising:
 a) preparing a chimeric gene comprising a polynucleotide sufficient to suppress the endogenous expression of a gene selected from the group consisting of CHS, PAL, TTG1, and LDOX, wherein said polynucleotide comprises at least a portion of the gene, operably linked in sense or antisense orientation on the upstream side to a promoter that directs gene expression, and operably linked on the downstream side to a regulatory sequence for transcriptional termination; and   b) transforming the plant with the chimeric gene of step (a).   
     
     
         11 - 14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . Oil produced from the seed of claim  13 . 
     
     
         16 - 21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . Oil produced from one or more seeds of a transformed plant containing a nucleic acid molecule that comprises an isolated nucleic acid encoding a chimeric gene comprising a polynucleotide sufficient to suppress the endogenous expression of a phenylpropanoid pathway gene, wherein said polynucleotide comprises at least a portion of the phenylpropanoid pathway gene, operably linked in sense or antisense orientation on the upstream side to a promoter that directs gene expression, and operably linked on the downstream side to a regulatory sequence for transcriptional termination wherein expression of the nucleic acid molecule results in reducing or disrupting the activity of the phenylpropanoid pathway gene product. 
     
     
         23 . The oil of  claim 22 , wherein the phenylpropanoid pathway gene is CHS. 
     
     
         24 . The oil of  claim 22 , wherein the phenylpropanoid pathway gene is TTG1. 
     
     
         25 . The oil of  claim 22 , wherein the phenylpropanoid pathway gene is LDOX. 
     
     
         26 . The oil of  claim 22 , wherein the phenylpropanoid pathway gene is PAL. 
     
     
         27 . The oil of  claim 22 , wherein the oil is blended with oil from a second source, thereby resulting in a blend. 
     
     
         28 - 36 . (canceled)