The present invention relates to key genes in the biosynthesis of steroidal alkaloids and saponins, including regulatory genes and enzyme-encoding genes, and to use thereof for altering the content of steroidal (glyco)alkaloids or phytosterols in plants. The present invention provides genetically modified plants or gene edited plants with altered content of steroidal (glyco)alkaloids, particularly to Solanaceous crop plants with reduced content of antinutritional steroidal glycoalkaloids and to the increase in phytosterols, including cholesterol or cholestanol in these plants. The present invention also provides methods of altering gene expression.

Described herein are biological devices and methods for using the same to produce carbo sugars. The biological devices include microbial cells transformed with a DNA construct containing genes for producing a cellulose synthase and galactomannan galactosyltransferase. In some instances, the biological devices also include a gene for lipase. Methods for altering the viscosity of petroleum oil using the carbo sugars are also described herein. Finally, methods for degreasing or decontaminating water mixed with petroleum oil or other fatty substances or a surface coated with petroleum oil or other fatty substances using the carbo sugars are described herein.

Described herein are biological devices and methods for using the same to produce carbo sugars. The biological devices include microbial cells transformed with a DNA construct containing genes for producing a cellulose synthase and galactomannan galactosyltransferase. In some instances, the biological devices also include a gene for lipase. Methods for altering the viscosity of petroleum oil using the carbo sugars are also described herein. Finally, methods for degreasing or decontaminating water mixed with petroleum oil or other fatty substances or a surface coated with petroleum oil or other fatty substances using the carbo sugars are described herein.

Described herein are expression cassettes, plant cells, plant seeds, plants, and methods useful for improving the glucan content and growth of plants.

Described herein are biological devices and methods for using the same to produce carbo sugars. The biological devices include microbial cells transformed with a DNA construct containing genes for producing a cellulose synthase and galactomannan galactosyltransferase. In some instances, the biological devices also include a gene for lipase. Methods for altering the viscosity of petroleum oil using the carbo sugars are also described herein. Finally, methods for degreasing or decontaminating water mixed with petroleum oil or other fatty substances or a surface coated with petroleum oil or other fatty substances using the carbo sugars are described herein.

The present invention relates to key genes in the biosynthesis of steroidal alkaloids and saponins, including regulatory genes and enzyme-encoding genes, and to use thereof for altering the content of steroidal (glyco)alkaloids or phytosterols in plants. The present invention provides genetically modified plants or gene edited plants with altered content of steroidal (glyco)alkaloids, particularly to Solanaceous crop plants with reduced content of antinutritional steroidal glycoalkaloids and to the increase in phytosterols, including cholesterol or cholestanol in these plants. The present invention also provides methods of altering gene expression.

Described herein are plants, plant seeds, and plants cells that are modified to express particular types of cellulose synthase enzymes (but not CesA3, CesA9, or CesA7 enzymes). Such plants, plant seeds and plant cells can be cotton, flax, hemp, jute, sisal, poplar, or eucalyptus plants, plant seeds or plant cells. The modified plants tend to grow taller, have increased cellulose synthesis, have more crystalline cellulose, have wider secondary cell walls, increased biomass, and increased mechanical strength than in a control plant without the expression cassette (e.g., a wild type or parental plant without the expression cassette).

Provided is a recombinant microorganism having enhanced cellulose synthase gene stability, a method of producing cellulose by using the recombinant microorganism, and a method of preparing the recombinant microorganism.

Using chemical genetic screening, we discovered a small molecule Cellulosin (aka endosidin20 or ES20) that causes cell swollen and inhibits plant growth, but does not disrupt global vesicle trafficking. By doing mutant screening, we obtained multiple alleles of Arabidopsis thaliana that are resistant to Cellulosin inhibition in growth. Those mutated amino acid residues are conserved across plant species. Cellulosin targets a group of cellulose synthases (CesAs) of Arabidopsis thaliana by binding to a conserved domain essential for the catalytic activity of CesA. Cellulosin may target and inhibit all subtypes of CesAs in plants. The present invention relates to Cellulosin, a cellulose synthase inhibitor, its analogs or derivatives as abroad-spectrum herbicide. The mutated genes, their protein products and a cell or a plant having those mutated genes or expressing those protein products are within the scope of this disclosure.

The present invention refers to a plant or plant part comprising a polynucleotide encoding a wildtype or mutated cellulose synthase (CESA) polypeptide, the expression of said polynucleotide confers to the plant or plant part tolerance to CESA-inhibiting herbicides, such as azines.