Cotton fibers with increased glucosamine content

Abstract

An isolated nucleic acid molecule is provided comprising a nucleotide sequence which encodes a glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase from E. coli which is particularly suitable for expression in cotton plant cells. The invention also relates to plant cells or plants, in particular to cotton plant cells or cotton plants which produce an increased amount of positively charged polysaccharides in their cell walls. Furthermore, methods and means are provided to increase the content of positively charged polysaccharides in the cell walls of cotton cells, in particular in cotton fibers. Fibers obtained from such cotton plants have an altered chemical reactivity which can be used to attach reactive dyes or other textile finish reagents to these fibers.

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         9 . Fibers obtainable from a cotton plant consisting essentially of plant cells comprising a chimeric gene comprising the following operably linked DNA regions:
 a) a plant-expressible promotor,   b) a DNA region coding for a GFAT polypeptide wherein said GFAT is encoded by a nucleotide sequence comprising
 i) a nucleotide sequence according to SEQ ID NO: 1, 
 ii) or a variant thereof, wherein one or more nucleotides differ from the nucleotide sequence according to SEQ ID NO: 1, provided that said variant differs in no more than 20 nucleotides from SEQ ID NO: 1, which encodes a glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate-amidotransferase (GFAT) according to SEQ ID NO: 2 
 iii) or a complementary sequence of i) or ii)), and 
   c) optionally a DNA region involved in transcription termination and polyadenylation wherein said cotton plant cells additionally comprise a second chimeric gene comprising the following operably linked DNA regions:
 a) a plant-expressible promotor, 
 b) a DNA sequence coding for a chitin synthase polypeptide and 
 c) optionally a DNA region involved in transcription termination and polyadenylation. 
   
     
     
         10 . A yarn or fabric made from fibers according to  claim 9 . 
     
     
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         15 . Fibers according to  claim 9 , wherein said chitin synthase is an N-acetylglucosamine transferase of the Nod C type. 
     
     
         16 . Fibers according to  claim 15 , wherein said chitin synthase polypeptide comprises a Golgi localization signal.