Patent ID: 6107547
Filing Date: 2000-08-22
Classification: C12N

Abstract:
A method of producing a transgenic plant having an improved agronomic or nutritional characteristic, which method comprises:I) identifying a transgenic plant overexpressing a nitrogen assimilation/metabolism enzyme from among transgenic plants having a gene construct comprising a gene encoding a nitrogen assimilation/metabolism enzyme operably linked to a plant promoter so that the nitrogen assimilation/metabolism enzyme is ectopically overexpressed in transgenic plants,II) screening the transgenic plant overexpressing the nitrogen assimilation/metabolism enzyme for an improved agronomic or nutritional characteristic under nitrogen non-limiting growth conditions, andIII) selecting the transgenic plant having an improved agronomic or nutritional characteristic;wherein the nitrogen assimilation/metabolism enzyme is cytosolic glutamine synthetase, and the improved agronomic or nutritional characteristic of the transgenic plant is a:i) faster rate of growth,ii) greater fresh or dry weight at maturation,iii) greater fruit or seed yield,iv) greater total plant nitrogen content,v) greater fruit or seed nitrogen content,vi) greater free amino acid content in the whole plant,vii) greater free amino acid content in the fruit or seed,viii) greater protein content in seed or fruit, orix) greater protein content in a vegetative tissue,than that of a progenitor plant which does not contain the gene construct, when the transgenic plant having the improved agronomic or nutritional characteristic and the progenitor plant are cultivated under identical nitrogen non-limiting growth conditions.