Patent Number: 6,841,721

Title: Reduction of lignin biosynthesis in transgenic plants

Abstract: The present invention provides methods of selectively controlling lignin biosynthesis in plants such that lignification is reduced or enhanced, as desired. The invention provides, for example, a method of reducing lignification in a vascular plant by ectopically expressing a nucleic acid molecule encoding an AGL8-like gene product in the plant, whereby lignification is reduced due to ectopic expression of the nucleic acid molecule. An AGL8-like gene product useful in the invention can have, for example, substantially the amino acid sequence of an AGL8 ortholog such as Arabidopsis AGL8 (SEQ ID NO:2).

Inventors: Yanofsky; Martin F. (San Diego, CA), Liljegren; Sarah (La Jolla, CA)

Assignee: The Regents of the University of California

International Classification: C12N 15/82 (20060101); C12N 015/82 (); C12N 015/90 (); A01H 005/00 ()

Expiration Date: 01/11/2022