Sugarcane Flowering Gene Modulation for Yield Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for regulating flowering in plants using flowering-inducing genes often result in premature flowering, leading to reduced seed yields due to flowering at an early stage, and require time- and cost-consuming processes for promoter activation or mutation production.
Innovation Solution
Introduction of a novel flowering-inducing gene that induces flowering more slowly than conventional genes, allowing for controlled flowering at a later stage with improved seed yields, utilizing specific amino acid sequences or their homologs, and enhanced expression methods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If conventional flowering-inducing genes (FT gene, Hd3a gene) are overexpressed to accelerate flowering, then flowering time is shortened, but flowering occurs at an early stage when plants are still small, resulting in reduced seed yield
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the flowering-inducing gene by changing specific amino acid parameters at positions 6-10 (mutating to Valine, Isoleucine, or Leucine) to alter the gene's flowering induction strength. This parameter change enables the gene to induce flowering at an appropriate stage rather than too early, simultaneously achieving accelerated flowering time and maintained seed yield.
2Loss of time
If regulatory factor genes are introduced to control flowering time, then flowering can be regulated, but the regulatory factor affects genes other than the flowering-inducing gene, imparting undesirable characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and modifies only the critical flowering-inducing function from complex regulatory networks by focusing on specific amino acid residues (6-10) of the flowering-inducing gene itself. This targeted extraction allows precise control of flowering time without the unwanted side effects of broad-spectrum regulatory factors that would otherwise affect multiple genes.
3Loss of time
If promoter activation methods requiring alcohol or copper ion are used to regulate flowering time, then flowering can be controlled, but the process becomes time-consuming and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a self-regulating flowering system where the modified flowering-inducing gene inherently controls flowering time through its intrinsic amino acid sequence changes. This eliminates the need for external promoter activation agents like alcohol or copper ions, simplifying the process to a straightforward gene expression system that automatically regulates flowering without complex external intervention.
Data Source
AI summary
Novel sugarcane-derived flowering-inducing genes each encoding a protein comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 or 4 (the ScFT6 gene and the ScZCN16 gene), by which the flowering time is accelerated more slowly than conventionally known flowering-inducing genes, are provided.