Executive Summary
Plant secondary cell walls are the bulk of plant biomass in woody plants. They are necessary for plant growth and are important for numerous industries, including pulp and paper, timber, and biomass feedstocks. Regulating secondary cell wall synthesis in trees and other plants could speed up biomass production for these industries.
Description of Technology
This technology is a genetically modified form of MYB46 that allows the gene to remain constitutively active, even in the presence of stresses (drought, etc.) that normally deactivate MYB46. Degradation of the MYB46 transcription factor is blocked, without altering activity. This allows for secondary wall synthesis even when the plant is stressed by disease, drought, or salt, among other conditions. The alteration to MYB46 may be introduced by CRISPR/CAS9 or other gene editing processes.
Key Benefits
Applications
Patent Status:
Provisional Patent Filed
Licensing Rights Available
Full Licensing Rights Available
Inventors:
Kyung-Hwan Han, Jong Hee Im
Tech ID:
TEC2016-0132