Generation of plants with altered oil content

Abstract

The present invention is directed to plants that display an altered oil content phenotype due to altered expression of ICL nucleic acid. The invention is further directed to methods of generating plants with an altered oil content phenotype.

1 . A method of producing an altered oil content phenotype in a plant, said method comprising:
 a) introducing into progenitor cells of the plant a plant transformation vector comprising a nucleotide sequence that encodes or is complementary to a sequence that encodes an ICL polypeptide, and   b) growing the transformed progenitor cells to produce a transgenic plant, wherein said polynucleotide sequence is expressed, and said transgenic plant exhibits an altered oil content phenotype.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the ICL polypeptide has at least 50% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence presented as SEQ ID NO:2, and wherein the sequence comprises an isocitrate lyase domain. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the ICL polypeptide has at least 80% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence presented as SEQ ID NO:2. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the ICL polypeptide has at least 90% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence presented as SEQ ID NO:2. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the ICL polypeptide has the amino acid sequence presented as SEQ ID NO:2. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein an ICL polypeptide is over-expressed in the transgenic plant, and wherein the altered oil content phenotype is a high oil phenotype. 
     
     
         7 . A plant obtained by a method of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         8 . The plant of  claim 7 , which is selected from the group consisting of rapeseed, soy, corn, sunflower, cotton, cocoa, safflower, oil palm, coconut palm, flax, castor and peanut. 
     
     
         9 . A plant part obtained from a plant according to  claim 7 . 
     
     
         10 . The plant part of  claim 9 , which is a seed. 
     
     
         11 . Oil obtained from a plant of  claim 7 . 
     
     
         12 . A transgenic plant comprising a chimeric DNA construct comprising a plant specific promoter and a DNA encoding an ICL, whereby the transgenic plant has an increased level of ICL relative to a non-transgenic plant and wherein oil from the plant have increased content compared to a plant lacking the chimeric DNA construct. 
     
     
         13 . A method of improving the oil content produced from a plant, said method comprising:
 a) introducing into a plant a chimeric DNA construct comprising a plant specific transcription initiation region and a DNA encoding an ICL which, when introduced into cells of said plant increases ICL activity in an amount sufficient to increase the quantity of oil produced by the plant compared to a plant lacking the chimeric DNA construct.   
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 13 , wherein the DNA encoding ICL is from a plant selected from the group consisting of rapeseed, soy, corn, sunflower, cotton, cocoa, safflower, oil palm, coconut palm, flax, castor and peanut.