Methods for the biosynthesis of taurine or hypotaurine in cells

Abstract

The present invention describes an approach to increase taurine or hypotaurine production in prokaryotes. More particularly, the invention relates to genetic transformation of organisms with genes that encode proteins that catalyze the conversion of cysteine to taurine, methionine to taurine, cysteamine to taurine, or alanine to taurine. The invention describes methods for the use of polynucleotides that encode cysteine dioxygenase (CDO) and sulfinoalanine decarboxylase (SAD) polypeptides in prokaryotes to increase taurine, hypotaurine or taurine precursor production. The preferred embodiment of the invention is in plants but other organisms may be used. Increased taurine production in prokaryotes could be used as nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, or therapeutic compounds or as a supplement in animal feed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cell comprising an expression cassette stably incorporated in its genome, the expression cassette comprising a promoter operably linked to an exogenous polynucleotide that is operably linked to a terminator, wherein the exogenous polynucleotide encodes a sulfinoalanine decarboxylase (SAD). 
     
     
         2 . The cell of  claim 1 , wherein the SAD is encoded by a polynucleotide comprising a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:5 and the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:6. 
     
     
         3 . The cell of  claim 1 , wherein the SAD comprises an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 7 and the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:8. 
     
     
         4 . The cell of  claim 1 , wherein the promoter is a constitutive promoter or a non-constitutive promoter selected from the group consisting of a tissue-preferred promoter, a tissue-specific promoter, a cell type-specific promoter, an inducible promoter, a plant glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) promoter, a plant sulphate transporter (SULTR) promoter, and a plant glutamate receptor (GLR) promoter. 
     
     
         5 . The cell of  claim 1  which is a plant cell. 
     
     
         6 . The cell of  claim 1  which is an algae. 
     
     
         7 . The cell of  claim 1 , wherein the expression cassette further comprises a nucleotide sequence encoding a peptide subcellular location sequence operatively linked to the SAD encoding nucleotide sequence. 
     
     
         8 . The cell of  claim 7 , wherein the peptide subcellular location sequence targets a subcellular location selected from the group consisting of an apoplast, vacuole, plastid, chloroplast, proplastid, etioplast, chromoplast, mitochondrion, peroxisome, glyoxysome, nucleus, lysosome, endomembrane system, endoplasmic reticulum, vesicle, and Golgi apparatus. 
     
     
         9 . A plant storage organ comprising the cell of  claim 5 , wherein the plant storage organ is a seed, tuber, fruit, or root. 
     
     
         10 . A seed having stably incorporated in its genome an exogenous polynucleotide encoding a sulfinoalanine decarboxylase (SAD) protein. 
     
     
         11 . The seed of  claim 10 , wherein the exogenous polynucleotide comprises a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:5 and the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:6. 
     
     
         12 . The seed of  claim 10 , wherein the SAD comprises an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:7 and the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:8. 
     
     
         13 . A plant grown from the seed of  claim 10 . 
     
     
         14 . A plant having stably incorporated in its genome an exogenous polynucleotide encoding a sulfinoalanine decarboxylase (SAD) protein. 
     
     
         15 . The plant of  claim 14 , wherein the plant has increased growth, yield, or biomass, altered development, increased water-use-efficiency, increased nitrogen-use-efficiency, or increased tolerance to biotic stress (pests, pathogens, bacteria, microbes, viruses, viroids, microorganisms, invertebrates, insects, nematodes, vertebrates) or abiotic stress (osmotic stress, oxidative damage, drought, salt, cold, freezing, heat, UV light, limitations of nutrients such as nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorous or other minerals). 
     
     
         16 . The plant of  claim 14  which is selected from the group consisting of acacia, alfalfa, algae, aneth, apple, apricot, artichoke, arugula, asparagus, avocado, banana, barley, beans, beech, beet, Bermuda grass, blackberry, blueberry, Blue grass, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, camelina, canola, cantaloupe, carrot, cassava, cauliflower, celery, cherry, chicory, cilantro, citrus, clementines, coffee, corn, cotton, cucumber, duckweed, Douglas fir, eggplant, endive, escarole,  eucalyptus , fennel, fescue, figs, forest trees, garlic, gourd, grape, grapefruit, honey dew, jatropha, jicama, kiwifruit, lettuce, leeks, lemon, lime, Loblolly pine, maize, mango, melon, mushroom, nectarine, nut, oat, okra, onion, orange, ornamental plants, palm,  papaya , parsley, pea, peach, peanut, pear, pepper, persimmon, pine, pineapple, plantain, plum, pomegranate, poplar, potato, pumpkin, quince,  radiata  pine, radicchio, radish, rapeseed, raspberry, rice, rye, rye grass, seaweed, scallion, sorghum, Southern pine, soybean, spinach, squash, strawberry, sugarbeet, sugarcane, sunflower, sweet potato, sweetgum, switchgrass, tangerine, tea, tobacco, tomato, turf, turnip, a vine, watermelon, wheat, yam, and zucchini. 
     
     
         17 . A method of producing a crop of plants having stably incorporated in their genome an exogenous polynucleotide encoding a SAD protein, the method comprising growing or multiplying the seed of  claim 10  to obtain a crop of plants. 
     
     
         18 . A pharmaceutical composition comprising an extract of the plant of  claim 14 . 
     
     
         19 . A nutritional supplement comprising an extract of the plant of  claim 14 . 
     
     
         20 . An animal feed comprising the plant storage organ of  claim 8 . 
     
     
         21 . The plant of  claim 14 , wherein the exogenous polynucleotide comprises a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:5 and the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:6. 
     
     
         22 . The plant of  claim 14 , wherein the SAD comprises an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:7, and the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:8. 
     
     
         23 . A method of producing a crop of plants having stably incorporated in their genome an exogenous polynucleotide encoding a SAD protein, the method comprising growing, multiplying or breeding the plant of  claim 13  to obtain a crop of plants. 
     
     
         24 . A method of producing a crop of plants having stably incorporated in their genome an exogenous polynucleotide encoding SAD protein, the method comprising growing, multiplying or breeding the plant of  claim 14  to obtain a crop of plants. 
     
     
         25 . An animal feed supplement comprising the seed of  claim 10 . 
     
     
         26 . An animal feed supplement comprising the plant of  claim 14 .