Patent ID: 8618356

Claim:
A method for modulating the level of (1,3;1,4)-Î²-D-glucan produced by a plant or fungal cell, the method comprising modulating the level and/or activity of a CslH-encoded (1,3;1,4)-Î²-D-glucan synthase in the cell, wherein the level and/or activity of the CslH-encoded (1,3;1,4)-Î²-D-glucan synthase is modulated by modulating the expression of a CslH nucleic acid in the cell, and wherein modulating the expression of a CslH nucleic acid in the cell results in modulation of the level of (1,3;1,4)-Î²-D-glucan produced by the cell compared to a wild-type cell of the same taxon, and wherein the CslH nucleic acid comprises: (i) a nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1; (ii) a nucleotide sequence encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2; or (iii) a nucleotide sequence encoding an amino acid sequence which is at least 95% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2.