The present invention relates to an expression control element and expression system comprising same, particularly to an expression control element regulated by a polyamine or polyamine analogue, host cells and eukaryotic organisms comprising same and methods of use thereof.

The present invention provides an expression cassette comprising a polynucleotide that encodes a protein that diverts a monolignol precursor from a lignin biosynthesis pathway in the plant, which is operably linked to a heterologous promoter. Also provided are methods of engineering a plant having reduced lignin content, as well as plant cells, plant parts, and plant tissues from such engineered plants.

The present invention provides an expression cassette containing a polynucleotide coding sequence for a hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA hydratase-lyase (HCHL), which is operably linked to a heterologous promoter. Also provided are methods of engineering plants that have reduced lignification, as well as cells, plant parts, and plant tissues from such engineered plants.

Provided are isolated polypeptides which are at least 80% homologous to SEQ ID NOs: 529, 475-528, 530-770, 6179-9796, 9798-10421, isolated polynucleotides which are at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NOs: 314, 1-313, 315-474, 771-6178, nucleic acid constructs comprising same, transgenic cells expressing same, transgenic plants expressing same and method of using same for increasing abiotic stress tolerance, yield, growth rate, biomass, vigor, oil content, photosynthetic capacity, seed yield, fiber yield, fiber quality, fiber length, and/or nitrogen use efficiency of a plant.

The invention is directed to p-coumaroyl-CoA:monolignol transferase enzymes, nucleic acids encoding p-coumaroyl-CoA:monolignol transferase enzymes, and inhibitory nucleic acids adapted to inhibit the expression and/or translation of p-coumaroyl-CoA:monolignol transferase RNA; expression cassettes, plant cells, and plants that have or encode such nucleic acids and enzymes; and methods of making and using such nucleic acids, enzymes, expression cassettes, cells, and plants.

The present invention relates to a mutant plant Cinnamoyl-CoA Reductase (CCR) protein capable of restoring the yield penalty in plants with lignin traits such as ccr-related deficiencies and methods and uses thereof. More specifically, the invention relates to plants lacking functional wild type CCR protein but having a weak ccr allele resulting in lower lignin amounts and increased saccharification, further accompanied by plant growth restoration of the lignin modification-induced dwarfism.

Provided are isolated polynucleotides which comprise a nucleic acid sequence at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NO: 321, 1-320, 322-480, 793-2945 or 2946; isolated polypeptides which comprise an amino acid sequence at least 80% homologous to SEQ ID NO: 517, 481-516, 518-792, 2947-4662 or 4663, nucleic acid constructs comprising same, transgenic cells and plants expressing same and methods of using same for increasing yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, abiotic stress tolerance, and/or nitrogen use efficiency of a plant.

The invention relates to feruloyl-CoA:monolignol transferase enzymes and nucleic acids encoding the feruloyl-CoA:monolignol transferase enzymes. The enzymes and/or the nucleic acids enable incorporation of monolignol ferulates into the lignin of plants. The monolignol ferulates include, for example, p-coumaryl ferulate, coniferyl ferulate, and/or sinapyl ferulate.

Nucleic acid constructs, and cells, plants, and plant parts containing such constructs, for modifying content of biomass constituents (e.g, lignin, hemicellulose, and/or cellulose) in plants via altered expression of certain transcription factors (regulators). Lignin, hemicellulose, and/or cellulose content can be decreased by increasing expression of certain negative regulators, or by decreasing expression of positive regulators. Alternatively, lignin, hemicellulose, and/or cellulose content can be increased by decreasing expression of negative regulators, or by increasing expression of positive regulators.

Polynucleotides and isolated polypeptides, nucleic acid constructs comprising the isolated polynucleotides, transgenic plants expressing same and methods of using same for increasing abiotic stress tolerance, yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, and/or nitrogen use efficiency of a plant are disclosed.