Method to develop high oleic acid soybeans using conventional soybean breeding techniques
Inventors
Bilyeu, Kristin • Shannon, Grover • Lee, Jeong-Dong • Pham, Anh Tung
Assignees
US Department of Agriculture USDA • University of Missouri St Louis
Publication Number
US-10329576-B2
Publication Date
2019-06-25
Expiration Date
2030-07-08
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Abstract
The present invention is directed to a soybean plant with mutations in FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B. Moreover, the present invention is directed to seeds from said plants with altered ratios of monosaturated and polyunsaturated fats. In particular, the present invention is directed to plants where the plants exhibit elevated levels of oleic acid.
Core Innovation
The invention is directed to a soybean plant with mutations in the FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B genes, producing seeds with altered ratios of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, specifically exhibiting elevated levels of oleic acid. The method enables creation and selection of conventional non-GMO soybean lines containing about 20% up to around 85% oleic acid in seed oil, up to a four-fold increase over commodity soybeans, efficiently incorporating the enhanced oil quality trait into elite varieties without expensive testing and evaluation typical of traditional breeding.
The problem solved is the need for novel vegetable oil compositions and improved approaches to obtain oils with desired fatty acid compositions from natural plant sources. Oleic acid is a healthier fat commonly used as a replacement for saturated fats due to its positive health effects on cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. Traditional transgenic approaches to increase oleic acid require genetic modification involving transgenes, which are expensive and time-consuming due to regulatory processes. There remains a need for non-GMO soybean plant lines producing mid to high oleic acid content.
The invention demonstrates that mutation in FAD2-1B alone results in minor increases in oleic acid, but combinations of mutations in both FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B result in dramatic increases in oleic acid levels. The invention provides plants having about 75% to about 85% oleic acid content, methods of selecting plants with about 65% to 85% oleic acid content by crossing lines with mutations in FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B, and identifies specific mutations that reduce enzyme activity leading to elevated oleic acid. The approach uses conventional breeding techniques and mutation selection, avoiding transgenic modifications.
Claims Coverage
The patent contains one independent claim directed to a stably reproducing population of soybean seeds with specific mutated FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B polynucleotide sequences.
Combination of mutant FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B polynucleotide sequences in soybean seeds
A stably reproducing population of soybean seeds comprising: 1) a first polynucleotide encoding a mutant FAD2-1A with either a non-conserved serine to asparagine substitution at amino acid 117 or a deletion mutation (M23 mutant), where the mutant FAD2-1A is nonfunctional or has reduced activity compared to wild-type; and 2) a second polynucleotide encoding a mutant FAD2-1B with either a non-conserved proline to polar amino acid substitution at position 137, or a non-conserved isoleucine to polar amino acid substitution at position 143, wherein the mutant FAD2-1B is nonfunctional or has reduced activity compared to wild-type; wherein oil from said seeds has about 65% to about 85% oleic acid content.
Soybean plant grown from the mutant seed population
A soybean plant grown from seed of the stably reproducing population carrying the first mutant FAD2-1A and second mutant FAD2-1B polynucleotide sequences as described.
Oil comprising the mutant sequences with elevated oleic acid content
Oil made from the described population of soybean seeds containing the mutant FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B sequences, having about 65% to about 85% oleic acid.
Method of producing soybean plants with higher oleic acid
A method comprising crossing a soybean plant containing the mutant FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B sequences with another soybean plant to produce progeny and preserving about 65% to about 85% oleic acid content in progeny by breeder selection for the mutant sequences.
Method of producing soybean plants with seed oleic acid content of about 65% to 85% by crossing specific mutant genes
A method comprising crossing a first soybean plant with a mutated FAD2-1A (serine to asparagine at position 117 or deletion as per M23 mutant) with a second soybean plant comprising a mutated FAD2-1B (proline to polar amino acid at position 137 or isoleucine to polar amino acid at 143) both mutants being nonfunctional or reduced activity, followed by selecting progeny with the mutant sequences to produce soybean plants with about 65% to 85% oleic acid seed content.
The independent claim and its dependent claims cover soybean seed populations, plants, oils, and breeding methods involving specific mutations in FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B genes that lead to elevated oleic acid content in seeds (about 65% to 85%), emphasizing nonfunctional or reduced activity mutants with certain amino acid substitutions or deletions.
Stated Advantages
Efficient incorporation of an enhanced oil quality trait into elite soybean varieties without expensive testing and evaluation typical of traditional breeding.
Production of non-GMO soybean lines with significantly elevated oleic acid levels (up to 85%), avoiding the regulatory burden of transgenic approaches.
High oleic acid content in seeds is stable across different environments and generations, maintaining desirable oil quality traits.
Improved oil functionality for food industry applications (e.g., replacement for partially hydrogenated oils) and industrial uses such as biodiesel and lubricants with better cold flow properties.
Documented Applications
Production of soybean oil with high oleic acid content for use in food products such as cooking oils, salad dressings, sandwich spreads, margarine, bread, mayonnaise, non-dairy coffee creamers, and snack foods.
Use of high oleic acid soybean oil in industrial markets such as biodiesel and biolubricants.
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