Disclosed in the present invention is a hyoscyamine aldehyde reductase (HAR) and uses thereof. The hyoscyamine aldehyde reductase has an amino acid residue sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO. 4 and a nucleotide sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO. 3. After prokaryotic expression of the hyoscyamine aldehyde reductase, a product of a catalyzed hyoscyamine aldehyde reduction reaction is hyoscyamine. After the hyoscyamine aldehyde reductase is used for converting Atropa belladonna, the content of hyoscyamine in an Atropa belladonna cell line can be increased, which has important significance in increasing the content of tropane alkaloids in Atropa belladonna.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure pertains to a nitrate transporter gene that includes the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1 or a functional variant thereof having at least 65% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 1. In some embodiments, the present disclosure pertains to a nitrate transporter protein that includes the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 2 or a functional variant thereof having at least 65% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2. In some embodiments, the present disclosure pertains to a method of enhancing growth in a plant by introducing a nitrate transporter gene of the present disclosure into the plant to result in the expression of the nitrate transporter protein in the plant. In some embodiments, the present disclosure pertains to genetically modified plants and recombinant expression vectors that include the nitrate transporter genes of the present disclosure.

A recombinantly expressed nucleotide triphosphate transporter efficiently imports the triphosphates of unnatural nucleotides into cells, and the endogenous cellular machinery incorporates those nucleotides into cellular nucleic acids. UBPs can therefore form within the cell's nucleic acids. Moreover, neither the presence of the unnatural triphosphates nor the replication of the UBP represents a significant growth burden. The UBP is not efficiently excised by nucleic acid repair pathways, and therefore can be retained as long as the unnatural triphosphates are available in the growth medium. Thus, the resulting cell is the first organism to stably propagate an expanded genetic alphabet.

Metabolic activity is exhibited against a larger number of compounds having different acting properties. A cytochrome P450 gene encodes a protein having an amino acid sequence of any of SEQ ID NOS: 2, 4, 6, and 8.

Improved methods and means are provided to modify in a targeted manner the genome of a plant cell or plant at a predefined site via bacterial transformation.

The present invention relates to methods for producing plants with increased fungal resistance, preferably seedling resistance against Northern Corn Leaf Blight. Further provided are methods for introducing, modifying, or modulating at least one wall-associated kinase (WAK) in(to) a plant cell, tissue, organ, or whole plant and thereby causing a reduced synthesis of benzoxazinoid and in turn increased fungal resistance. There are further provided methods to identify and/or modify downstream effector molecules in a WAK signalling cascade. Finally, plant cells, tissues, organs or whole plants having increased fungal resistance and methods using substances to activate signalling pathways in a targeted way are provided. The present invention thus relates to WAKs as master regulators and crucial signaling mediators in plant defense against fungal disease and the regulation and cross-talk mechanisms in the WAK signaling cascade and further gives examples for establishing novel anti-fungal strategies relevant for a series of crop plants.

A series of independent human-induced non-transgenic mutations found at one or more of the Lpx genes of wheat; wheat plants having these mutations in one or more of their Lpx genes; and a method of creating and finding similar and/or additional mutations of Lpx by screening pooled and/or individual wheat plants. The wheat plants disclosed herein exhibit decreased lipoxygenase activity without having the inclusion of foreign nucleic acids in their genomes. Additionally, products produced from the wheat plants disclosed herein display increased oxidative stability and increased shelf life without having the inclusion of foreign nucleic acids in their genomes.

Provided are a taxadiene synthase TcTS2, an encoding nucleotide sequence and use thereof. The amino acid sequence of TcTS2 includes or consists of: (a) an amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 1; or (b) a functional homologous sequence having at least 80% sequence similarity with the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 1; or (c) an amino acid sequence having TcTS2 activity with addition, deletion, or substitution of one or more amino acids in the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 1. TcTS2 and the nucleotide sequence encoding the TcTS2 provide new gene resources for improving the yield of taxol, and they may be used for modifying chassis hosts by plant genetic engineering and metabolic engineering strategies to produce taxol and the intermediates thereof etc., thereby having significant economic and social value.

The present application is directed to lettuce plants comprising a mutation in each of at least two different PPO genes, where said mutations reduce the activity of PPO protein compared to a wild type lettuce plant. The present application is also directed to methods for making such lettuce plants.

A series of independent human-induced non-transgenic mutations found at one or more of the Lpx genes of wheat; wheat plants having these mutations in one or more of their Lpx genes; and a method of creating and finding similar and/or additional mutations of Lpx by screening pooled and/or individual wheat plants. The wheat plants disclosed herein exhibit decreased lipoxygenase activity without having the inclusion of foreign nucleic acids in their genomes. Additionally, products produced from the wheat plants disclosed herein display increased oxidative stability and increased shelf life without having the inclusion of foreign nucleic acids in their genomes.