The invention relates to methods and compositions for modifying a characteristic of a plant without modifying the plant's genome using one or more cells comprising one or more phytohormone genes and at least one polynucleotide of interest, which one or more phytohormone genes and the at least one polynucleotide of interest are expressed in the one or more cells.

The present invention encompasses modified luciferases, methods for making modified luciferases, and assays utilizing modified luciferases. Modified luciferases of the invention show increased activity over wildtype luciferases and also show increased stability of signal. The present invention also encompasses multiplex assays utilizing multiple luciferases with different emission spectra.

Provided herein are isolated polynucleotide encoding modified click beetle luciferase polypeptides that have enhanced luminescence and longer wavelength near-infrared signals. The disclosure also relates to near-infrared bioluminescence systems that include said modified click beetle luciferase polypeptides and novel luciferin derivatives, as well as methods of using said modified click beetle luciferase polypeptides and bioluminescence systems.

The present invention refers to a method for controlling undesired vegetation at a plant cultivation site, the method comprising the steps of providing, at said site, a plant that comprises at least one nucleic acid comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding a wild-type hydroxyphenyl pyruvate dioxygenase or a mutated hydroxyphenyl pyruvate dioxygenase (mut-HPPD) which is resistant or tolerant to a HPPD-inhibiting herbicide and/or a nucleotide sequence encoding a wild-type homogentisate solanesyl transferase or a mutated homogentisate solanesyl transferase (mut-HST) which is resistant or tolerant to a HPPD-inhibiting herbicide, applying to said site an effective amount of said herbicide. The invention further refers to plants comprising mut-HPPD, and methods of obtaining such plants.

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

The present disclosure discloses a recombinant microbe producing podophyllotoxin, or its derivatives, comprising genes encoding phenyl alanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), cinnamate-4-hydroxylate (C4H), 4-coumaroyl CoA-ligase (4CL), hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA quinate hydroxycinnamoyltransferase (HCT), p-coumaroyl quinate 3′-hydroxylase (C3H), caffeoyl CoA O-methyltransferase (CCoAOMT), bifunctional pineresionl-lariciresinol reductase (DIRPLR), secoisolariciresinol dehydrogenase (SDH), cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase CYP719, O-methyltransferase (OMT), cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase CYP71, and 2-oxoglutarate/Fe(II)-dependent dioxygenase (2-ODD). Also disclosed herein is a method for producing podophyllotoxin or its derivatives. Moreover, a method of treating cancer is also disclosed.

The invention relates to a whole-cell catalyst which expresses a recombinant α-dioxygenase or the combination of a recombinant fatty acid reductase and a phosphopantetheinyl transferase which phosphopantetheinylates the fatty acid reductase, and which expresses, in addition to the α-dioxygenase and/or the combination of fatty acid reductase and phosphopantetheinyl transferase, a transaminase, wherein the phosphopantetheinyl transferase and/or transaminase is preferably recombinant; and also to a process for converting a carboxylic acid or dicarboxylic acid or a monoester thereof to an amine or diamine, comprising the steps of contacting the carboxylic acid or dicarboxylic acid or the monoester thereof with a phosphopantetheinylated fatty acid reductase or an α-dioxygenase and contacting the product with a transaminase.

Provided are modified virus-like particles (VLPs) of paramyxoviruses, compositions containing them, methods of using the VLPs for delivery of any particular protein of interest to any of a variety of cells, kits that contain expression vectors for making, using and detecting VLPs, and methods for screening for anti-viral compounds using the VLPs. The modified VLPs contain a contiguous recombinant polypeptide that contains i) all or a segment of a C-terminal domain of a paramyxovirus nucleocapsid protein and ii) a polypeptide sequence of a distinct protein. Non-covalent complexes of paramyxovirus M protein and fusion proteins that contain a C-terminal domain of a paramyxovirus nucleocapsid protein and a polypeptide sequence of a distinct protein are provided, as are non-covalent complexes of cells, and cell receptors, with modified VLPs.

The present invention belongs to the field of plant genetic engineering. Specifically, the invention relates to a method for creating novel herbicide resistant plants by base editing techniques and a method for screening endogenous gene mutation sites capable of conferring herbicide resistance in plants. The invention also relates to the use of the identified endogenous gene mutantation sites in crop breeding.

The present invention relates to a process for dyeing textiles, in particular for dyeing textiles using enzymes. The present invention also relates to a method for producing leuco indigo and/or leuco forms of indigo derivatives. The present invention further refers to textiles obtainable through said process, to an apparatus comprising a reactor containing enzymes, and to a microbial flavin-containing monooxygenase.