Generation of plants with altered protein, fiber, or oil content

Abstract

The present invention is directed to plants that display an improved oil quantity phenotype or an improved meal quality phenotype due to altered expression of an IMQ nucleic acid. The invention is further directed to methods of generating plants with an improved oil quantity phenotype or improved meal quality phenotype.

It is claimed: 
     
         1 . A transgenic plant, comprising a plant transformation vector comprising a nucleotide sequence that encodes or is complementary to a sequence that encodes an IMQ29.1 polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence at least 95% identical to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 64, 66, or 68, or an ortholog thereof, whereby the transgenic plant has an improved meal quality phenotype, relative to control plants. 
     
     
         2 . The transgenic plant of  claim 1 , wherein the IMQ29.1 polypeptide comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 64, 66, or 68. 
     
     
         3 . The transgenic plant of  claim 2 , wherein the IMQ29.1 polypeptide is encoded by a nucleic acid comprising the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 63, 65, or 67. 
     
     
         4 . The transgenic plant of  claim 1 , which is selected from the group consisting of plants of the  Brassica  species, including canola and rapeseed, soy, corn, sunflower, cotton, cocoa, safflower, oil palm, coconut palm, flax, castor, peanut, wheat, oat, and rice. 
     
     
         5 . The transgenic plant of  claim 4 , wherein the plant is canola. 
     
     
         6 . The transgenic plant of  claim 1 , wherein an improved meal quality phenotype comprises an increase in available metabolizable energy in meal produced from seeds of the transgenic plant, relative to control plants. 
     
     
         7 . The transgenic plant of  claim 6 , wherein an increase in available metabolizable energy comprises an altered protein and/or fiber content in the seeds of the transgenic plant. 
     
     
         8 . The transgenic plant of  claim 7 , wherein the protein content is increased and/or the fiber content is decreased. 
     
     
         9 . The transgenic plant of  claim 6 , wherein an increase in available metabolizable energy comprises a decreased fiber content in the seeds of the transgenic plant. 
     
     
         10 . A plant part obtained from the plant according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         11 . The plant part of  claim 10 , which is a seed. 
     
     
         12 . A method of producing an improved meal quality 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 IMQ29.1 polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence at least 95% identical to the amino acid of SEQ ID NO: 64, 66, or 68, or an ortholog thereof, and   b) growing the transformed progenitor cells to produce a transgenic plant, wherein the nucleotide sequence is expressed, and the transgenic plant exhibits an improved meal quality phenotype relative to control plants,   thereby producing the improved meal quality phenotype in the plant.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the IMQ29.1 polypeptide comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 64, 66, or 68. 
     
     
         14 . A plant obtained by a method of  claim 12 . 
     
     
         15 . The plant of  claim 14 , which is selected from the group consisting of plants of the  Brassica  species, including canola and rapeseed, soy, corn, sunflower, cotton, cocoa, safflower, oil palm, coconut palm, flax, castor, peanut, wheat, oat, and rice. 
     
     
         16 . The plant of  claim 15 , wherein the plant is canola. 
     
     
         17 . The plant of  claim 14 , wherein the plant is selected from the group consisting of a plant grown from said progenitor cells, a plant that is the direct progeny of a plant grown from said progenitor cells, and a plant that is the indirect progeny of a plant grown from said progenitor cells. 
     
     
         18 . A method of generating a plant having an improved meal quality phenotype comprising identifying a plant that has an allele in its IMQ29.1 gene that results in improved meal quality phenotype, compared to plants lacking the allele, and generating progeny of said identified plant, wherein the generated progeny inherit the allele and have the improved meal quality phenotype, thereby generating a plant having an improved meal quality phenotype. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  that employs candidate gene/QTL methodology. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18  that employs TILLING methodology.