The present invention generally relates to methods and materials involved in producing tobacco plants having reduced levels of conversion of nicotine to nornicotine. In certain embodiments, the invention is directed to mutations in a nicotine demethylase gene, tobacco plants comprising mutations in a nicotine demethylase gene, and tobacco compositions and products thereof. In other embodiments, the invention is directed toward nicotine demethylase RNA interference, tobacco plants comprising a nicotine demethylase RNA interference transgene, and tobacco compositions and products thereof.

Compositions and methods for reducing the level of nornicotine and N′-nitrosonornicotine (NNN) in tobacco plants and plant parts thereof are provided. The compositions comprise isolated polynucleotides and polypeptides for a root-specific nicotine demethylases, CYP82E10, and variants thereof, that are involved in the metabolic conversion of nicotine to nornicotine in these plants. Compositions of the invention also include tobacco plants, or plant parts thereof, comprising a mutation in a gene encoding a CYP82E10 nicotine demethylase, wherein the mutation results in reduced expression or function of the CYP82E10 nicotine demethylase. Seed of these tobacco plants, or progeny thereof, and tobacco products prepared from the tobacco plants of the invention, or from plant parts or progeny thereof, are also provided. Methods for reducing the level of nornicotine, or reducing the rate of conversion of nicotine to nornicotine, in a tobacco plant, or plant part thereof are also provided. The methods comprise introducing into the genome of a tobacco plant a mutation within at least one allele of each of at least three nicotine demethylase genes, wherein the mutation reduces expression of the nicotine demethylase gene, and wherein a first of these nicotine demethylase genes encodes a root-specific nicotine demethylase involved in the metabolic conversion of nicotine to nornicotine in a tobacco plant or a plant part thereof. The methods find use in the production of tobacco products that have reduced levels of nornicotine and its carcinogenic metabolite, NNN, and thus reduced carcinogenic potential for individuals consuming these tobacco products or exposed to secondary smoke derived from these products.

The present disclosure provides compositions and methods related to tobacco plants with altered total alkaloid and nicotine levels and commercially acceptable leaf grade, their development via breeding or transgenic approaches, and production of tobacco products from these tobacco plants.

A TMV resistant tobacco plant containing a short N introgressed segment and a method for breeding the same. A homozygous tobacco plant containing an N introgressed segment is hybridized with a tobacco plant of genotype nn to obtain an F1 progeny tobacco plant of genotype Nn. The F1 progeny tobacco plant is hybridized with the tobacco plant of genotype nn, to obtain population materials for screening to obtain the short N introgressed segment. TMV is inoculated at a seedling stage, and Nn genotype plants showing necrotic lesion are obtained by screening the population materials. The Nn genotype plants are genotyped using a molecular marker TN5.51 primer pair and an N gene-specific molecular marker N1N2 at the right end of the N introgressed segment. A plant found to be negative when tested by the TN5.51 primer pair and to be positive when tested by the N1N2 molecular marker is a plant comprising the short N introgressed segment. The size of non-target genomic components deleted from plants containing the short N introgressed segment is estimated using TN5.34 and TN5.20 and TN4.99 primer pairs. The obtained short N introgressed segment is applicable to germplasma innovation and breeding of TMV resistant tobacco. The invention is helps to reduce linkage drag with the N gene.

Provided herein are genetic markers and a coding sequence associated with a low- or ultra-low anatabine trait in tobacco.

This disclosure provides a number of sequences involved in the transport of alkaloids from the root to the leaf in tobacco, methods of using such sequences, tobacco plants carrying modifications to such sequences, and tobacco products made from such plants.

The present disclosure provides tobacco inbred plants TND950 (phph) SRC, Narrow Leaf Madole (phph) SRC, Narrow Leaf Madole SRC, CMS TND950 SRC, CMS Narrow Leaf Madole SRC, and CMS KY171 SRC, and hybrids PD7305 SRC, PD7309 SRC, PD7312 SRC, PD7318 SRC, and PD7319 SRC. The present disclosure also provides parts of such plants and products made from those parts. The present disclosure also includes progeny of the provided plants including hybrids.

A plant cell comprising: (a) a polynucleotide sequence encoding a nitrate reductase polypeptide comprising a contiguous polypeptide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 5 or SEQ ID NO: 7, wherein methionine is substituted for an amino acid that reduces nitrate reductase activity in the plant cell as compared to a control plant cell; (b) a polypeptide sequence encoded by the polynucleotide sequence set forth in (a); or (c) a construct, vector or expression vector comprising the polynucleotide sequence set forth in (b).

The present invention generally relates to methods and materials involved in producing tobacco plants having reduced levels of conversion of nicotine to nornicotine. In certain embodiments, the invention is directed to mutations in a nicotine demethylase gene, tobacco plants comprising mutations in a nicotine demethylase gene, and tobacco compositions and products thereof. In other embodiments, the invention is directed toward nicotine demethylase RNA interference, tobacco plants comprising a nicotine demethylase RNA interference transgene, and tobacco compositions and products thereof.

This disclosure provides a number of sequences involved in the transport of alkaloids from the root to the leaf in tobacco, methods of using such sequences, tobacco plants carrying modifications to such sequences, and tobacco products made from such plants.