Targeted EPSPS Amino Acid Substitutions for Glyphosate-Tolerant Crops

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing plants lack sufficient tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate, which inhibits 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS), necessitating the development of glyphosate-tolerant EPSPS enzymes for crop protection and yield maintenance.

Innovation Solution

Engineering recombinant DNA molecules encoding EPSPS enzymes with specific amino acid substitutions, such as I6P, T17M, N28A, and others, to confer increased tolerance to glyphosate.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If wild-type EPSPS is used in plants, then the plant can perform normal shikimate pathway function, but the plant lacks tolerance to glyphosate herbicide

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveglyphosate toleranceVSAvoidherbicide sensitivity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies parameter changes by introducing specific amino acid substitutions at defined positions in the EPSPS enzyme sequence. These substitutions modify the enzyme's chemical and physical parameters to reduce its affinity for glyphosate while maintaining catalytic function, thereby conferring herbicide tolerance to the plant

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local quality by making targeted amino acid substitutions at specific local positions (residues) within the EPSPS enzyme structure. Rather than changing the entire enzyme, only specific local regions are modified to achieve glyphosate resistance while preserving overall enzyme function

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Object-affected harmful factors

If glyphosate is applied for weed control, then weed control effectiveness is achieved, but crop yield is reduced due to herbicide damage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveweed controlVSAvoidcrop yield

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent enables selective herbicide action by modifying the local properties of the crop plant's EPSPS enzyme through amino acid substitutions. This allows glyphosate to selectively affect weed EPSPS while being excluded from the modified crop EPSPS, achieving weed control without crop damage and maintaining productivity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Object-affected harmful factors

If higher glyphosate doses are used to ensure weed control, then weed control effectiveness increases, but the risk of crop damage and environmental harm increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveweed control effectivenessVSAvoidherbicide resistance pressure and environmental impact

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the biochemical parameters of the crop EPSPS enzyme to create a tolerance threshold that allows lower, safer glyphosate application rates. This parameter modification enables effective weed control at reduced herbicide doses, minimizing environmental impact and resistance pressure while maintaining crop safety

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS12460222B2Methods and compositions for herbicide tolerance in plants

Publication Date: 2025.11.04 MONSANTO TECHNOLOGY LLC

AI summary

The invention relates to novel methods and compositions for conferring tolerance to glyphosate to plants. The invention also provides glyphosate-tolerant plants, seeds, tissue, cells, and plant parts comprising modified EPSP synthases and recombinant DNA molecules encoding modified EPSP synthases, as well as methods of producing the same and the use thereof.