This disclosure provides genetically modified plants having desirable levels of sugar release, cellulose content and reduction of recalcitrance; methods of genetically modifying plants to modulate sugar release, cellulose and lignin contents; and uses of such plants. The inventors have determined that genetic modification of PdDUF266A from Populus, encoded by locus Potri.011G009500 resulted in transgenic Populus trees with changes in lignin and cellulose content as well as altered sugar release phenotypes. Plants with altered sugar release, cellulose and lignin content, based on modulation of the expression or activity of the PdDUF266A gene, have diverse uses including pulp and paper production, and biofuel and bioproducts production.

A method of producing faster flowering times in corn and sorghum plants is presented herein. Corn and sorghum plants comprising a non-native flowering gene that flower faster by at least three developmental leaves than control plants are also presented herein.

Recombinant DNA constructs, for use in plants and plant cells, have site-specific recombination sites that allow assessing phenotypes and modes of action by over expression or suppression of endogenous genes. In an aspect, a single DNA construct can be switched between over expression and suppression by the action of a recombinase such as the Cre recombinase on constructs having lox recombination sites. Other useful recombination systems include the Flp/frt system, the R/Rs system, the Dre/rox system, and the GIN/gix system.

The present invention refers to methods for selectively recognizing a base pair in a DNA sequence by a polypeptide, to modified polypeptides which specifically recognize one or more base pairs in a DNA sequence and, to DNA which is modified so that it can be specifically recognized by a polypeptide and to uses of the polypeptide and DNA in specific DNA targeting as well as to methods of modulating expression of target genes in a cell.

The present invention provides diacylhydrazine ligands and chiral diacylhydrazine ligands for use with ecdysone receptor-based inducible gene expression systems. Thus, the present invention is useful for applications such as gene therapy, large scale production of proteins and antibodies, cell-based screening assays, functional genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and regulation of traits in transgenic organisms, where control of gene expression levels is desirable. An advantage of the present invention is that it provides a means to regulate gene expression and to tailor expression levels to suit the user's requirements.

The present invention provides molecular constructs and methods for use thereof, including constructs including heterologous miRNA recognition sites, constructs for gene suppression including a gene suppression element embedded within an intron flanked on one or on both sides by non-protein-coding sequence, constructs containing engineered miRNA or miRNA precursors, and constructs for suppression of production of mature microRNA in a cell. Also provided are transgenic plant cells, plants, and seeds containing such constructs, and methods for their use. The invention further provides transgenic plant cells, plants, and seeds containing recombinant DNA for the ligand-controlled expression of a target sequence, which may be endogenous or exogenous. Also disclosed are novel miRNAs and miRNA precursors from crop plants including maize and soy.

The invention relates to a novel chemically inducible plant viral amplicon (CMViva) expression system that permits controllable, high level expression of foreign genes in plant hosts. This system employs agro-infiltration of plants to provide a transient production of a protein of interest, such as a human blood protein. This system provides a major advantage over existing plant expression systems because it allows for consistent expression of foreign or heterologous proteins in plant hosts.

Method for heterologous RNA species and protein production in plant cell mitochondria comprising introducing into plant cells nucleic acid components that encode heterologous proteins/RNAS under the control of promoters operative in mitochondria, vectors, host cells, plants and uses thereof.

Method for heterologous protein production in plant cell plastids comprising introducing into plant cells nucleic acid components that encode heterologous proteins under the control of promoters operative in plastids, vectors, host cells, plants and uses thereof.

The present disclosure relates to inducible hybrid plant 5S rRNA mimic (P5SM) RNA elements that regulate gene expression by alternative splicing, and to methods of using such RNA elements for regulating transgene expression in eukaryotic host cells and plants.