Endocarp-Specific Promoter for Seedless Stone Fruit Development
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies lack an endocarp-specific promoter for stone fruits, hindering the development of seedless fruits and nuts with improved shell qualities, which is essential for reducing production costs and expanding market opportunities, as existing methods for processing stone fruits and nuts are inefficient and costly due to the presence of hardened endocarp tissue.
Innovation Solution
An endocarp-specific promoter is identified and used to drive expression of gene constructs in drupe plants, specifically targeting the endocarp tissue to modify lignin biosynthesis, allowing for the production of plants with altered stone tissue development, including seedless fruits and nuts with improved shell qualities, without affecting plant growth or fruit production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If mechanical pitting is used to remove stone tissue, then endocarp tissue can be eliminated, but processing costs increase due to confirmation processes and regulation compliance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by modifying endocarp development through genetic transformation before processing occurs. By using the endocarp-specific promoter to drive expression of genes that prevent lignin accumulation or promote endocarp softening, the stone tissue is softened or eliminated in advance, eliminating the need for costly mechanical pitting and confirmation processes downstream
2Shape
If endocarp tissue is present in stone fruits, then fruit structure is maintained, but seedless fruit development is hindered and shell qualities are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using the endocarp-specific promoter (such as the POX promoter from SEQ ID NO: 1) to drive expression of heterologous nucleotide sequences specifically in endocarp tissue. This allows modification of lignin biosynthesis and endocarp development only in the stone tissue, while leaving other fruit tissues unaffected, thereby improving shell quality and enabling seedless fruit development without compromising overall fruit structure
3Adaptability or versatility
If existing promoters are used to modify endocarp genes, then gene expression can be altered, but expression is not specific to endocarp tissue only
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the intermediary principle by using the endocarp-specific promoter as a mediator between the heterologous nucleotide sequence and the endocarp tissue. The promoter (such as SEQ ID NO: 1) acts as a specific binding element that directs gene expression exclusively to endocarp cells, ensuring that modifications to lignin biosynthesis or endocarp development occur only in the target tissue without affecting other plant parts
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates to polynucleotides comprising an endocarp-specific promoter sequence from the peach peroxidase (POX) gene operably linked to a heterologous nucleotide sequence encoding a product of interest. The polynucleotides can be used to specifically alter endosperm gene expression in fruit. In a transgenic cell, the polynucleotides may block formation of phenylpropanoid pathway lignin-pathway precursors, formation of lignin monomers, and/or polymerization of lignin monomers.