UC Case No. 1999-253
BACKGROUND
The life cycle of higher plants consists of two major phases, the vegetative phase and the reproductive (flowering) phase. In general, plants store matter and energy in the form of carbohydrate reserves during the vegetative phase, and then mobilize these reserves in the development of flowers, fruit, and seeds during the reproductive phase, which is often triggered by various light- and circadian-related factors. As a consequence of this, the timing of the transition to flowering can significantly affect the biomass yields of vegetative structures (leaves, stems, and roots) and reproductive structures. Hence, the ability to control the timing of plant flowering could have important applications in agriculture, horticulture, and forestry.
INNOVATION
Researchers at the University of California have isolated an Arabidopsis gene, known as CCA1, that encodes a regulatory transcription factor involved in light- and circadian-regulated gene expression. The UC researchers have shown that CCA1 plays an important role in plant development, notably that overexpression of the gene in transgenic plants causes delayed flowering. These plants display reduced sensitivity to photoperiod for their growth and development, and have elongated stems. The UC researchers have also isolated a protein kinase regulatory subunit, called CKB2, which stimulates the transcriptional activity of CCA1 proteins. CKB2 does so both by inducing protein-binding and by protein-activation (via phosphorylation), thus strongly modulating CCA1-mediated transcription.
POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS
ADVANTAGES