Mutant Cellulose Synthase Expression for Herbicide-Tolerant Plants
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plants lack sufficient tolerance to cellulose biosynthesis inhibitor (CBI) herbicides, which inhibit the enzyme cellulose synthase (CESA), leading to potential damage and reduced growth.
Innovation Solution
Over-expression of mutant cellulose synthase forms, particularly focusing on modifications in the C-terminal part of CESA proteins, confers increased tolerance to CESA-inhibiting herbicides.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If plants are exposed to CESA-inhibiting herbicides, then weed control effectiveness is improved, but plant growth is inhibited and damage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the CESA enzyme structure through mutagenesis to alter its sensitivity to herbicides. Specific amino acid substitutions in the CESA protein change the enzyme's interaction with CBI herbicides, reducing inhibition while maintaining cellulose synthesis function, thus allowing plants to tolerate herbicide application
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates copies of the mutated CESA gene and introduces them into plant cells through transformation. The overexpression of these mutant CESA copies provides sufficient functional enzyme activity even in the presence of herbicides, enabling the plant to maintain growth while tolerating the herbicidal treatment
2Reliability
If mutant CESA forms are over-expressed, then herbicide tolerance is improved, but genetic modification complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex genetic modification process into distinct components: first generating mutant CESA variants through controlled mutagenesis, then isolating specific functional mutants, and finally transforming plants with selected mutant genes. This segmentation allows systematic optimization and reduces overall complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent simplifies the genetic modification by focusing changes on specific parameters of the CESA enzyme (amino acid substitutions at defined positions) rather than comprehensive protein redesign. This targeted approach reduces the search space and simplifies the genetic engineering process while achieving the desired herbicide tolerance
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention refers to a plant or plant part comprising a polynucleotide encoding a wildtype or mutated cellulose synthase (CESA) polypeptide, the expression of said polynucleotide confers to the plant or plant part tolerance to CESA-inhibiting herbicides, such as azines.