The invention relates to methods for increasing seed yield, increasing the total content of protein and/or lipid in seeds and reducing glucosinolate levels by reducing the expression or activity of UPL3. The invention also relates to genetically altered plants characterised by the above phenotypes and methods of producing such plants.

Isolated polynucleotides are provided. Each of the isolated polynucleotides comprise a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide having an amino acid sequence at least 80% homologous to SEQ ID NO: 121, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 95 or 96, wherein the polypeptide is capable of regulating cotton fiber development. Also provided are methods of using such polynucleotides for improving fiber quality and/or yield of a fiber producing plant, as well as methods of using such polynucleotides for producing plants having increased biomass/vigor/yield.

Provided is a protein having glucocerebrosidase activity and further having thermostability. The object is attained by a protein which is derived from a plant, belongs to glycoside hydrolase family 1 (GH1), and has glucocerebrosidase activity.

Materials and methods for in vivo de-glycosylation of recombinant N-glycosylated proteins by co-expression with bacterial PNGase F (Peptide: N-glycosidase F) in plants, using a transient expression system are described. Methods are described which, for example, produce recombinant proteins of interest in plants in a non-glycosylated form. A method of expressing active bacterial PNGase F in plants also is provided.

The present disclosure provides a method for producing a polyisoprenoid, which makes it possible to synthesize in vitro a polyisoprenoid having an unprecedented structure, such as a 100% cis-polyisoprenoid or a polyisoprenoid containing an allylic diphosphate derivative as an initiating terminal. The present disclosure relates to a method for producing a polyisoprenoid in vitro, which employs a gene coding for a neryl diphosphate synthase and rubber particles bound to a protein encoded by the gene, or a method for producing a polyisoprenoid, which includes introducing into a plant a vector in which a gene coding for a neryl diphosphate synthase is linked to a promoter having a promoter activity that drives laticifer-specific gene expression to express a protein encoded by the gene specifically in laticifers.

A method of expressing heterologous expansin in a plant cell is provided where a nucleic acid molecule encoding expansin is introduced into the plant cell and in an embodiment is operably linked to a promoter preferentially expressing in the seed tissue of the plant, and in another embodiment is linked to a promoter preferentially expressing in the embryo tissue of the seed. An embodiment provides the nucleic acid molecule is operably linked to a second nucleic acid molecule that directs expression to the endoplasmic reticulum, vacuole or cell wall. Plants and plant parts expressing expansin are provided. An assay for detection of expansin activity is also provided.

The present invention relates to plants, such as maize, Sorghum or sugar cane, having improved digestibility, in particular improved stover digestibility. The present invention relates to a QTL allele associated with improved digestibility and specific marker alleles associated with the QTL allele. The present invention further relates to such plants, wherein the F35H gene is mutated or wherein F35H expression is altered. The invention also relates to methods for identifying plants having improved digestibility and methods for obtaining such plants.

The present invention describes an alternative approach to increase Taurine (Tau) or methionine (Met) production in eukaryotes, namely by the insertion of components of a sulfur-metabolic pathway and Tau- or Met-binding proteins in organisms where the peptides do not exist or have not clearly been identified. The invention describes methods for the use of polynucleotides that encode functional cysteine dioxygenase (CDO) alone, sulfinoalanine decarboxylase (SAD) alone or CDO and SAD polypeptides in combination with functional Tau- or Met-binding proteins in plants to increase Tau or Met production. The preferred embodiment of the invention is in plants but other organisms may be used. Increased Tau or Met availability will improve nutritional value of the crop.

The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having beta-xylosidase activity and polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods of producing and using the polypeptides.

The present invention relates to phytase variants. The present invention also relates to polynucleotides encoding the variants; nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides; and methods of using the variants.