Gene Farming in Plants: Expression of a Heatstable Bacillus Amylase in Transgenic Legume Seeds

Abstract

Seeds of crop plants are promising expression and storage systems for gene farming purposes. We report the generation of transgenic narbon beans ( Vicia narbonensis L.) containing the Bacillus licheniformis (α-amylase gene. The transgene is controlled by the seed specific USP gene promoter and encodes a heatstable enzyme. The transgene product accumulates in the storage vacuoles of cotyledon cells and retains its thermostability and starch degradation specificity. The enzyme is able to liquefy the endogenous seed starch reserves of this grain legume.