	US 12,139,718 B2
	Methods of decreasing total alkaloid content in tobacco
Matthew Edward Humphry, London (GB); Shengming Yang, Lexington, KY (US); and Qiulin Qin, Lexington, KY (US)
Assigned to University of Kentucky Research Foundation, Lexington, KY (US)
Appl. No. 16/625,262
Filed by University of Kentucky Research Foundation, Lexington, KY (US)
PCT Filed Jun. 21, 2018, PCT No. PCT/US2018/038679 § 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 20, 2019, PCT Pub. No. WO2018/237107, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 27, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/524,216, filed on Jun. 23, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2020/0291413 A1, Sep. 17, 2020
Int. Cl. C12N 15/82 (2006.01); A01H 5/12 (2018.01); A01H 6/82 (2018.01); A24B 15/10 (2006.01); A24B 15/24 (2006.01); C12N 5/04 (2006.01)

CPC C12N 15/8243 (2013.01) [A01H 5/12 (2013.01); A01H 6/823 (2018.05); A24B 15/10 (2013.01); A24B 15/245 (2013.01); C12N 5/04 (2013.01)]

17 Claims

1. A method of decreasing the total alkaloid content of a tobacco plant or a part thereof, or a tobacco cell culture, the method comprising modifying said plant or cell culture by providing one or more mutations in a Nic1 ERF gene or the promoter thereof, wherein the one or more mutations result in eliminated gene activity in the mutated gene and wherein the Nic1 ERF gene encodes a polypeptide which comprises an amino acid sequence as set out in SEQ ID No. 8, wherein the one or more mutations that result in eliminated gene activity is/are not present in LA Burley 21 and wherein the alkaloid content is decreased by at least 50% in comparison to a control plant or control cell culture.