Stevia Cultivars With Gene-Edited High Rebaudioside M Yield
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing Stevia plants produce low levels of rebaudioside M, a valuable sweetener, due to negative regulators in the conversion pathway from rebaudioside A, limiting the yield and quality of sweeteners.
Innovation Solution
Disrupt the function of negative regulator genes in the rebaudioside A to rebaudioside M conversion pathway using methods like CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, mutagenesis, and RNA interference to enhance rebaudioside M production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional Stevia rebaudiana plants are cultivated, then rebaudioside A is produced in high levels, but rebaudioside M remains at very low levels due to negative regulatory elements in the conversion pathway
Solution Approach 1:
The patent identifies and removes negative regulatory elements (specific genes or genetic sequences) that suppress the conversion of rebaudioside A to rebaudioside M in the Stevia plant's metabolic pathway. By extracting or disabling these harmful regulatory elements through genetic modification techniques, the plant's natural conversion pathway is unlocked, allowing rebaudioside M to accumulate at commercially viable levels without introducing foreign genes.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention alters the genetic parameters of the Stevia plant by modifying specific genes involved in the steviol glycoside conversion pathway. Through techniques such as CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing or targeted mutagenesis, the expression levels or activity of key enzymes in the pathway are changed, shifting the metabolic balance from rebaudioside A production to rebaudioside M production, thereby resolving the contradiction between natural plant metabolism and desired sweetener composition.
2Productivity
If genetic modification techniques are used to increase rebaudioside M production, then the sweetening capacity is improved, but the complexity of the breeding process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical breeding methods (crossing, selection, and hybridization) with precise genetic editing techniques. Instead of relying on complex multi-generational breeding programs to achieve desired metabolic profiles, the invention uses targeted gene modification to directly alter the plant's metabolic pathway, dramatically simplifying the development process while achieving high rebaudioside M production in a single generation or few generations.
Data Source
AI summary
Stevia varieties with a high content of RebM, are disclosed Further provided are methods for producing Stevia plants having a high RebM content by negatively regulating certain genes selecting the resulting plants, and breeding with such plants to confer such desirable Reb M phenotypes to plant progeny.