The present invention relates to nucleic acid molecules encoding enzymes which are involved in the starch synthesis in plants. These enzymes are starch synthases from wheat.

The present invention relates to nucleic acid molecules encoding enzymes from wheat which are involved in the starch synthesis of plants. These enzymes are isotypes of the starch synthase.
The invention further relates to vectors and bacteria which contain these nucleic acid molecules as well as plant cells and plants transformed with the described nucleic acid molecules. Furthermore, methods for the production of transgenic plants are described which due to the integration of DNA molecules encoding starch synthase from wheat, synthesize starch which is modified in its properties.
With respect to its increasing significance which has recently been ascribed to vegetal substances as regenerative sources of raw materials, one of the objects of biotechnological research is to try to adapt vegetal raw materials to the demands of the processing industry. In order to enable the use of modified regenerative raw materials in as many areas as possible, it is furthermore important to obtain a large variety of substances. Apart from oils, fats and proteins, polysaccharides constitute the essential regenerative raw materials derived from plants. Apart from cellulose, starch maintains an important position among the polysaccharides, being one of the most significant storage substances in higher plants. Among those, wheat is an interesting cultivated plant as it generates 20% of the total amount of starch produced in the European Community.
The polysaccharide starch is a polymer made up of chemically homogeneous basic components, namely the glucose molecules. However, it constitutes a highly complex mixture from various types of molecules which differ from each other in their degree of polymerization and in the degree of branching of the glucose chains. Therefore, starch is not a homogeneous raw material. One differentiates particularly between amylose-starch, a basically non-branched polymer made up of xcex1-1,4-glycosidically branched glucose molecules, and amylopectin-starch which in turn is a complex mixture of various branched glucose chains. The branching results from additional xcex1-1,6-glycosidic interlinkings. In wheat the synthesized starch consists of about 11-37% of amylose-starch, depending on the cultivar.
In order to enable as wide a use of starch as possible, it seems to be desirable that plants be provided which are capable of synthesizing modified starch which is particularly suitable for various uses. Breeding is one possibility to provide such plants. This, however, turns out to be very difficult in the case of wheat due to the polyploid properties of cultivated wheat (tetra- and hexaploid). Only recently scientists succeeded in producing xe2x80x9cwaxyxe2x80x9d (not containing amylose) wheat by cross-breeding of mutants ocurring in nature (Nakamura et al., Mol. Gen. Genet. 248 (1995), 253-259). Another possibility is the specific genetic modification of the starch metabolism of starch-producing plants by means of recombinant DNA techniques. However, a prerequisite therefor is to identify and to characterize the enzymes involved in the starch synthesis and/or the starch modification as well as to isolate the respective DNA molecules encoding these enzymes.
The biochemical pathways which lead to the production of starch are basically known. The starch synthesis in plant cells takes place in the plastids. In photosynthetically active tissues these are the chloroplasts, in photosynthetically inactive, starch-storing tissues the amyloplasts.
The most important enzymes involved in starch synthesis are starch synthases as well as branching enzymes. In the case of starch synthases various isotypes are described which all catalyze a polymerization reaction by transferring a glucosyl residue of ADP-glucose to xcex1-1,4-glucans. Branching enzymes catalyze the introduction of xcex1-1,6 branchings into linear xcex1-1,4-glucans.
Starch synthases may be divided up in two groups: the granule-bound starch synthases (GBSS) and the soluble starch synthases (SSS). This distinction is not always evident since some starch synthases are granule-bound as well as soluble (Denyer et al., Plant J. 4 (1993), 191-198; Mu et al., Plant J. 6 (1994), 151-159). Within these classifications, various isotypes are described for various species of plants. These isotypes differ from each other in their dependency on primer molecules (so-called xe2x80x9cprimer dependentxe2x80x9d (type II) and xe2x80x9cprimer independentxe2x80x9d (type I) starch synthases).
So far only in the case of the isotype GBSS I its exact function during starch synthesis has been successfully determined. Plants in which this enzyme activity has been strongly or completely reduced, synthesize starch free of amylose (a so-called xe2x80x9cwaxyxe2x80x9d starch) (Shure et al., Cell 35 (1983), 225-233; Visser et al., Mol. Gen. Genet. 225 (1991), 289-296; WO 92/11376); therefore this enzyme has been assigned a decisive role in synthesizing amylose-starch. This phenomenon is also observed in the cells of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (Delrue et al., J. Bacteriol. 174 (1992), 3612-3620). In the case of Chlamydomonas it was furthermore demonstrated that GBSS I is not only involved in the synthesis of amylose but also has an influence on amylopectin synthesis. In mutants which do not show any GBSS I activity a certain fraction of the normally synthesized amylopectin, exhibiting long chain glucans, is missing.
The functions of the other isotypes of the granule-bound starch synthases, particularly GBSS II, and of the soluble starch synthases are so far not clear. It is assumed that soluble starch synthases, together with branching enzymes, are involved in the synthesis of amylopectin (see e.g. Ponstein et al., Plant Physiol. 92 (1990), 234-241) and that they play an important role in the regulation of starch synthesis rate.
In the case of wheat at least two isotypes of granule-bound starch synthase (60 kDa and 100-105 kDa) and a further isotype, which possibly represents a soluble starch synthase (Denyer et al., Planta 196 (1995), 256-265; Rahman et al., Aust. J. Plant Physiol. 22 (1995), 793-803), were identified on the protein level. The existence of several SSS-isotypes had already been proved by means of chromatographic methods (Rijven, Plant Physiol. 81 (1986), 448-453). A cDNA encoding GBSS I from wheat has already been described (Ainsworth et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 22 (1993), 67-82).
Nucleic acid sequences encoding further starch synthase-isotypes from wheat are yet unknown. cDNA-sequences encoding other starch synthases than GBSS I have so far merely been described for pea (Dry et al., Plant J. 2 (1992), 193-202), rice (Baba et al., Plant Physiol. 103 (1993), 565-573) and potatoes (Edwards et al., Plant J. 8 (1995), 283-294).
Soluble starch synthases have been identified in several other plant species apart from wheat. Soluble starch synthases have for example been isolated in homogeneous form from pea (Denyer and Smith, Planta 186 (1992), 609-617) and potatoes (Edwards et al., Plant J. 8 (1995), 283-294). In these cases it was found that the isotype of the soluble starch synthase identified as SSS II is identical with the granule-bound starch synthase GBSS II (Denyer et al., Plant J. 4 (1993), 191-198; Edwards et al., Plant J. 8 (1995), 283-294). In the case of other plant species the existence of several SSS-isotypes was described by means of chromatographic methods, as for example in the case of barley (Tyynelxc3xa4 and Schulman, Physiologia Plantarum 89 (1993) 835-841; Kreis, Planta 148 (1980), 412-416). However, DNA sequences encoding these proteins have so far not been described.
In order to provide further possibilities for modifying any desired starch-storing plant, especially wheat, in such a way that they will synthesize a modified starch, respective DNA sequences encoding further isotypes of starch synthases have to be identified.
Therefore, it was the object of the present invention to provide nucleic acid molecules encoding enzymesxe2x80x94especially enzymes from wheatxe2x80x94involved in starch biosynthesis and by means of which genetically modified plants may be produced that show an elevated or reduced activity of those enzymes, thereby prompting a modification in the chemical and/or physical properties of the starch synthesized in these plants. This object has been achieved by the provision of the embodiments described in the claims.
Therefore, in a first aspect the present invention relates to nucleic acid molecules encoding proteins from wheat with the biological activity of a soluble starch synthase, whereby such molecules preferably encode proteins which comprise the amino acid sequence depicted under Seq ID No. 2. The invention particularly relates to nucleic acid molecules which comprise all or part of the nucleotide sequence mentioned under Seq ID No. 1, preferably molecules, which comprise the coding region indicated in Seq ID No. 1 or, as the case may be, corresponding ribonucleotide sequences.
The present invention further relates to nucleic acid molecules encoding soluble starch synthase from wheat and hybridizing to one of the above-mentioned molecules.
Nucleic acid molecules that encode soluble starch synthase from wheat and the sequence of which differs from the nucleotide sequences of the above-mentioned molecules due to the degeneracy of the genetic code are also the subject-matter of the invention.
The invention also relates to nucleic acid molecules showing a sequence which is complementary to the whole or to a part of the above-mentioned sequences.
The proteins encoded by the above-described nucleic acid molecules are soluble starch synthases derived from wheat. These proteins show certain homologous regions with the so far known soluble starch synthases from other plant species.
In another aspect the present invention relates to nucleic acid molecules encoding proteins with the biological activity of a starch synthase from wheat, whereby such molecules preferably encode proteins comprising the amino acid sequence indicated under Seq ID No. 6. The invention particularly relates to nucleic acid molecules which contain the nucleotide sequence indicated under Seq ID No. 5 or part of it, preferably molecules comprising the coding region depicted under Seq ID No. 5 or, as the case may be, corresponding ribonucleotide sequences.
The present invention further relates to nucleic acid molecules encoding starch synthase from wheat and hybridizing to one of the above mentioned molecules.
Nucleic acid molecules that encode a starch synthase from wheat and the sequence of which differs from the nucleic acid sequences of the above-described molecules due to the degeneracy of the genetic code are also the subject-matter of the invention.
The invention also relates to nucleic acid molecules showing a sequence which is complementary to the whole or to a part of the above-mentioned sequences.
The protein encoded by the above-described nucleic acid molecules is a protein with the biological activity of a starch synthase from wheat. When comparing the homology with other known sequences it was found that the highest degree of homology occurs with peas, which encode a granule-bound starch synthase. Thus, it is assumed that the described nucleic acid molecules encode a granule bound starch synthase from wheat.
The nucleic acid molecules of the invention may be DNA as well as RNA molecules. Corresponding DNA molecules are for instance genomic or cDNA molecules. The nucleic acid molecules of the invention may be isolated from natural sources or synthesized by means of known methods.
In this invention the term xe2x80x9chybridizationxe2x80x9d signifies hybridization under conventional hybridizing conditions, preferably under stringent conditions as described for example in Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning, A Laboratory Manual, 2nd Edition (1989) Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.).
Nucleic acid molecules hybridizing to the molecules according to the invention may be isolated e.g. from genomic or from cDNA libraries produced from wheat tissue.
Thereby, the identification and isolation of such nucleic acid molecules may take place by using the molecules according to the invention or parts of these molecules or, as the case may be, the reverse complement strands of these molecules, e.g. by hybridization according to standard methods (see e.g. Sambrook et al., 1989, Molecular Cloning, A Laboratory Manual, 2nd Edition, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.).
As a probe for hybridization e.g. nucleic acid molecules may be used which exactly or basically contain the nucleotide sequences indicated under Seq ID No. 1 or under Seq ID No. 5 or parts thereof. The fragments used as hybridization probe may also be synthetic fragments which were produced by means of the conventional synthesizing methods and the sequence of which is basically identical with that of a nucleic acid molecule according to the invention. After identifying and isolating the genes hybridizing to the nucleic acid sequences according to the invention, the sequence has to be determined and the properties of the proteins encoded by this sequence have to be analyzed.
The molecules hybridizing to the nucleic acid molecules of the invention also comprise fragments, derivatives and allelic variants of the above-described nucleic acid molecules which encode a protein from wheat as described in the invention. Thereby, fragments are defined as parts of the nucleic acid molecules, which are long enough in order to encode one of the described proteins. This includes also parts of nucleic acid molecules according to the invention which lack the nucleotide sequence encoding the signal peptide responsible for the translocation of the protein into the plastid. Such fragments are, for example, the nucleotide sequence encoding amino acid residues 34 to 671 as shown in Seq ID No. 2 or the nucleotide sequence encoding the amino acid residues 58 to 799 or 61 to 799 as shown in Seq ID No. 6. Furthermore, fragments which are particularly preferred in the present invention are the fragments comprising nucleotides 186 to 2239 of Seq ID No. 1 as well as fragments comprising an additional G residue at their 5xe2x80x2-end, and fragments comprising nucleotides 1084 to 2825 of Seq ID No. 2. In this context, the term derivatives means that the sequences of these molecules differ from the sequences of the above-mentioned nucleic acid molecules at one or more positions and that they exhibit a high degree of homology to these sequences. Hereby, homology means a sequence identity of at least 40%, in particular an identity of at least 60%, preferably of more than 80% and still more preferably a sequence identity of more than 90%. The deviations occurring when comparing with the above-described nucleic acid molecules might have been caused by deletion, substitution, insertion or recombination.
Moreover, homology means that functional and/or structural equivalence exists between the respective nucleic acid molecules or the proteins they encode. The nucleic acid molecules, which are homologous to the above-described molecules and represent derivatives of these molecules, are generally variations of these molecules, that constitute modifications which exert the same biological function. These variations may be naturally occurring variations, for example sequences derived from other organisms, or mutations, whereby these mutations may have occurred naturally or they may have been introduced by means of a specific mutagenesis. Moreover the variations may be synthetically produced sequences. The allelic variants may be naturally occurring as well as synthetically produced variants or variants produced by recombinant DNA techniques.
The proteins encoded by the various variants of the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention exhibit certain common characteristics. Enzyme activity, molecular weight, immunologic reactivity, conformation etc. may belong to these characteristics as well as physical properties such as the mobility in gel electrophoresis, chromatographic characteristics, sedimentation coefficients, solubility, spectroscopic properties, stability, pH-optimum, temperature-optimum etc. Significant characteristics of a starch synthase are: i) their localization within the stroma of the plastids of plant cells; ii) their capability of synthesizing linear xcex1-1,4-linked polyglucans using ADP-glucose as substrate. This activity can be determined as shown in Denyer and Smith (Planta 186 (1992), 606-617) or as described in the examples.
Nucleic acid molecules hybridizing specifically to a strand of the nucleic acid molecules of the invention are also subject-matter of the invention. These are preferably oligonucleotides with a length of at least 10, particularly of at least 15 and still more preferably with a length of at least 50 nucleotides. These nucleic acid molecules hybridize specifically to a strand of a nucleic acid molecule of the invention, i.e. they do not or only to a small extent hybridize to nucleic acid sequences encoding other proteins, particularly other starch synthases. The oligonucleotides of the invention may be used for example as primer for a PCR reaction. They may also be components of antisense-constructs or DNA molecules encoding suitable ribozymes.
Furthermore, the invention relates to vectors, especially plasmids, cosmids, viruses, bacteriophages and other vectors common in genetic engineering, which contain the above-mentioned nucleic acid molecules of the invention.
In a preferred embodiment the nucleic acid molecules contained in the vectors are linked to regulatory elements that ensure the transcription and synthesis of a translatable RNA in procaryotic or eucaryotic cells.
The expression of the nucleic acid molecules of the invention in procaryotic cells, e.g. in Escherichia coli, is interesting insofar as this enables a more precise characterization of the enzymatic activities of the enzymes encoding these molecules. In particular, it is possible to characterize the product being synthesized by the respective enzymes in the absence of other enzymes which are involved in the starch synthesis of the plant cell. This makes it possible to draw conclusions about the function, which the respective protein exerts during the starch synthesis within the plant cell.
Moreover, it is possible to introduce various mutations into the nucleic acid molecules of the invention by means of conventional molecular-biological techniques (see e.g. Sambrook et al., 1989, Molecular Cloning, A Laboratory Manual, 2nd Edition, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.), whereby the synthesis of proteins with possibly modified biological properties is induced. By means of this it is on the one hand possible to produce deletion mutants, in which nucleic acid molecules are produced by continuing deletions at the 5xe2x80x2- or the 3xe2x80x2-end of the encoding DNA-sequence. These nucleic acid molecules may lead to the synthesis of correspondingly shortened proteins. Such deletions at the 5xe2x80x2-end of the nucleotide sequence make it possible, for example, to identify amino acid sequences which are responsible for the translocation of the enzyme in the plastids (transit peptides). This allows for the specific production of enzymes which due to the removal of the respective sequences are no longer located in the plastids but within the cytosol, or which due to the addition of other signal sequences are located in other compartments.
On the other hand point mutations might also be introduced at positions where a modification of the amino acid sequence influences, for example, the enzyme activity or the regulation of the enzyme. In this way e.g. mutants with a modified Km-value may be produced, or mutants which are no longer subject to the regulation mechanisms by allosteric regulation or covalent modification usually occurring in cells.
Furthermore, mutants may be produced exhibiting a modified substrate or product specificity such as mutants that use ADP-glucose-6-phosphate instead of ADP-glucose as substrate. Moreover, mutants with a modified activity-temperature-profile may be produced.
For the genetic manipulation in procaryotic cells the nucleic acid molecules of the invention or parts of these molecules may be integrated into plasmids which allow for a mutagenesis or a sequence modification by recombination of DNA sequences. By means of standard methods (cf. Sambrook et al., 1989, Molecular Cloning: A laboratory manual, 2nd edition, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, N.Y., USA) base exchanges may be carried out or natural or synthetic sequences may be added. In order to connect the DNA fragments, adapters or linkers may be attached to the fragments. Moreover, use can be made of manipulations which offer suitable restriction sites or which remove superfluous DNA or restriction sites. Wherever use is made of inserts, deletions or substitutions, in vitro mutagenesis, xe2x80x9cprimer repairxe2x80x9d, restriction or ligation may be used. For analyzing use is usually made of a sequence analysis, a restriction analysis and further biochemico-molecularbiological methods.
In a further embodiment the invention relates to host cells, in particular procaryotic or eucaryotic cells, which have been transformed and/or genetically modified by an above-mentioned nucleic acid molecule of the invention or by a vector of the invention, as well as cells derived from cells transformed and/or genetically modified in such a way and containing a nucleic acid molecule of the invention or a vector of the invention. This is preferably a bacterial cell or a plant cell. Such cells are characterized in that the introduced nucleic acid molecule of the invention is either heterologous with respect to the transformed cell, i.e. it does not occur naturally in these cells, or is located at another place in the genome than the corresponding, naturally occurring sequence. Furthermore, the proteins encoded by the nucleic acid molecules of the invention are the subject-matter of the invention as well as methods for their production whereby a host cell of the invention is cultivated under conditions that allow for a synthesis of the protein and whereby the protein is then isolated from the cultivated cells and/or the culture medium.
Moreover, the present invention also relates to transgenic plant cells transformed with one or more nucleic acid molecule(s) of the invention. Such cells contain one or more nucleic acid molecule(s) of the invention, whereby this/these is/are preferably linked to regulatory DNA elements, which ensure the transcription in plant cells, especially with a promoter. Such cells differ from naturally occurring plant cells in that they contain at least one nucleic acid molecule of the invention which does not naturally occur in such cells or in that such a molecule is integrated at some position in the genome of the cell at which is does not naturally occur, i.e. in a different genomic environment.
By means of methods known to the skilled person the transgenic plant cells can be regenerated to whole plants. Thus, the plants obtained by regenerating the transgenic plant cells of the invention are also the subject-matter of the present invention. A further subject-matter of the invention are plants which contain the above-described transgenic plant cells. The transgenic plants may in principle be plants of any desired species, i.e. they may be monocotyledonous as well as dicotyledonous plants. These are preferably useful plants, in particular starch-synthesizing or starch-storing plants such as cereals (rye, barley, oats, wheat etc.), rice, maize, peas, cassava or potatoes.
By making available the nucleic acid molecules of the invention it is now possiblexe2x80x94by means of recombinant DNA techniquesxe2x80x94to specifically interfere with the starch metabolism of plants in a way so far impossible by means of breeding. Thereby, the starch metabolism may be modified in such a way that a modified starch is synthesized which e.g. is modified, compared to the starch synthesized in wildtype plants, with respect to its physico-chemical properties, especially the amylose/amylopectin ratio, the degree of branching, the average chain length, the phosphate content, the pastification behavior, the size and/or the shape of the starch granule. There is the possibility of increasing the yield of genetically modified plants by increasing the activity of the proteins described in the invention, e.g. by overexpressing the respective nucleic acid molecules or by making mutants available which are no longer subject to cell-specific regulation schemes and/or different temperature-dependencies with respect to their activity. The economic significance of the chance to interfere with the starch synthesis of wheat is obvious since this plant produces considerable amounts of starch.
Therefore it is possible to express the nucleic acid molecules of the invention in plant cells in order to increase the activity of the respective starch synthases or it is possible to introduce them into cells that usually do not express said enzyme. Furthermore, the nucleic acid molecules of the invention may be modified by means of methods known to the skilled person, in order to produce starch synthases according to the invention which are no longer subject to the cell-specific regulation mechanisms or show modified temperature-dependencies or substrate resp. product specificities.
In expressing the nucleic acid molecules of the invention in plants the synthesized proteins may in principle be located in any desired compartment within the plant cell. In order to locate it within a specific compartment, the sequence ensuring the localization in the plastids must be deleted and the remaining coding regions optionally have to be linked to DNA sequences which ensure localization in the respective compartment. Such sequences are known (see e.g. Braun et al., EMBO J. 11 (1992), 3219-3227; Wolter et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85 (1988), 846-850; Sonnewald et al., Plant J. 1 (1991), 95-106).
The invention also relates to propagation material of the plants of the invention, e.g. fruits, seeds, tubers, root-stocks, seedlings, cuttings, calli, cell cultures etc.
The starch derived from transgenic plant cells, plants as well as the propagation material according to the invention is also the subject-matter of the present invention.
Due to the expression or, as the case may be, additional expression of at least one of the nucleic acid molecules of the invention, the transgenic plant cells and plants described in the invention synthesize a starch which compared to starch synthesized in wildtype plants is modified for example in its physico-chemical properties, in particular in the amylose/amylopectin ratio, the degree of branching, the average chain-length, the phosphate-content, the pastification behavior, the size and/or the shape of the starch granule. Compared with wildtype-starch, such starch may be modified in particular with respect to its viscosity and/or the gel formation properties of the glues of this starch.
Transgenic plant cells, in which the activity of at least one protein according to the invention is reduced when compared to non-transformed plants, are a further subject-matter of the invention.
By means of the nucleic acid molecules of the invention it is possible to produce plant cells and plants in which the activity of at least one protein of the invention is reduced. This also leads to the synthesis of a starch with modified chemical and/or physical properties when compared to the starch from wildtype plant cells.
The production of plant cells with a reduced activity of at least one protein of the invention may, for example, be achieved by the expression of at least one corresponding antisense-RNA, of at least one sense-RNA for achieving a cosupression effect or the expression of at least one correspondingly constructed ribozyme, which specifically cleaves transcripts encoding one of the proteins of the invention, using the nucleic acid molecules of the invention. In order to express an antisense-RNA, on the one hand DNA molecules can be used which comprise the complete sequence encoding a protein of the invention, including possibly existing flanking sequences as well as DNA molecules, which only comprise parts of the encoding sequence whereby these parts have to be long enough in order to prompt an antisense-effect within the cells. Basically, sequences with a minimum length of 15 bp, preferably with a length of 100-500 bp and for an efficient antisense-inhibition, in particular sequences with a length of more than 500 bp may be used. Generally DNA-molecules are used which are shorter than 5000 bp, preferably sequences with a length of less than 2500 bp.
Use may also be made of DNA sequences which are highly homologous, but not completely identical to the sequences of the DNA molecules of the invention. The minimal homology should be more than about 65%. Preferably, use should be made of sequences with homologies between 95 and 100%.
The method for reducing the activity of enzymes of the invention in plant cells by means of a cosuppression effect is known to the skilled person and has been described, for example, in Jorgensen (Trends Biotechnol. 8 (1990), 340-344), Niebel et al. (Curr. Top. Microbiol. Immunol. 197 (1995), 91-103), Flavell et al. (Curr. Top. Microbiol. Immunol. 197 (1995), 43-46), Palaqui and Vaucheret (Plant. Mol. Biol. 29 (1995), 149-159), Vaucheret et al. (Mol. Gen. Genet. 248 (1995), 311-317), de Borne et al. (Mol. Gen. Genet. 243 (1994), 613-621) and in other sources.
The expression of corresponding ribozymes in order to reduce the activity of certain enzymes in cells is also known to the person skilled in the art and described, for example, in EP-B1 0 321 201. The expression of ribozymes in plant cells was described e.g. by Feyter et al. (Mol. Gen. Genet. 250 (1996), 329-338).
Moreover, plants containing the above-described transgenic plant cells of the invention are also the subject-matter of the present invention. These may be regenerated from the plant cells of the invention to whole plants by means of methods known to the skilled person. These plants are preferably those already mentioned above, in particular useful plants, especially starch-synthesizing or, as the case may be, starch-storing plants. Hereby, wheat is particularly preferred.
The invention also relates to propagation material of the plants of the invention, in particular to fruits, seeds, tubers, rootstocks, seedlings, cuttings, calli, cell cultures etc.
Moreover, starch derived from the above-mentioned transgenic plant cells, plants as well as the propagation material is the subject-matter of the invention.
Due to the reduction of the activity of at least one of the proteins of the invention, the transgenic plant cells and plants of the invention synthesize a starch which is modified, compared to the starch synthesized in wildtype plants, in its physico-chemical properties, in particular in the amylose/amylopectin ratio, the degree of branching, the average chain-length, the phosphate-content, the pastification behavior, the size and/or the shape of the starch granule. This starch may for example exhibit modified viscosities and/or gel formation properties of its glues when compared to starch derived from wildtype plants.
The starches of the invention may be modified according to techniques known to the skilled person; in unmodified as well as in modified form they are suitable for the use in foodstuffs or for the use in non-foodstuffs.
Basically, the possibilities of uses of the starch can be subdivided into two major fields. One field comprises the hydrolysis products of starch, essentially glucose and glucans components obtained by enzymatic or chemical processes. They can be used as starting material for further chemical modifications and processes, such as fermentation. In this context, it might be of importance that the hydrolysis process can be carried out simply and inexpensively. Currently, it is carried out substantially enzymatically using amyloglucosidase. It is thinkable that costs might be reduced by using lower amounts of enzymes for hydrolysis due to changes in the starch structure, e.g. increasing the surface of the grain, improved digestibility due to less branching or a steric structure, which limits the accessibility for the used enzymes.
The other field in which the starch is used because of its polymer structure as so-called native starch, can be subdivided into two further areas:
1. Use in Foodstuffs
Starch is a classic additive for various foodstuffs, in which it essentially serves the purpose of binding aqueous additives and/or causes an increased viscosity or an increased gel formation. Important characteristic properties are flowing and sorption behavior, swelling and pastification temperature, viscosity and thickening performance, solubility of the starch, transparency and paste structure, heat, shear and acid resistance, tendency to retrogradation, capability of film formation, resistance to freezing/thawing, digestibility as well as the capability of complex formation with e.g. inorganic or organic ions.
A preferred area of application of native starch is the field of bakery-goods and pasta.
2. Use in Non-foodstuffs
The other major field of application is the use of starch as an adjuvant in various production processes or as an additive in technical products. The major fields of application for the use of starch as an adjuvant are, first of all, the paper and cardboard industry. In this field, the starch is mainly used for retention (holding back solids), for sizing filler and fine particles, as solidifying substance and for dehydration. In addition, the advantageous properties of starch with regard to stiffness, hardness, sound, grip, gloss, smoothness, tear strength as well as the surfaces are utilized.
2.1 Paper and Cardboard Industry
Within the paper production process, a differentiation can be made between four fields of application, namely surface, coating, mass and spraying.
The requirements on starch with regard to surface treatment are essentially a high degree of brightness, corresponding viscosity, high viscosity stability, good film formation as well as low formation of dust. When used in coating the solid content, a corresponding viscosity, a high capability to bind as well as a high pigment affinity play an important role. As an additive to the mass rapid, uniform, loss-free dispersion, high mechanical stability and complete retention in the paper pulp are of importance. When using the starch in spraying, corresponding content of solids, high viscosity as well as high capability to bind are also significant.
2.2 Adhesive Industry
A major field of application is, for instance, in the adhesive industry, where the fields of application are subdivided into four areas: the use as pure starch glue, the use in starch glues prepared with special chemicals, the use of starch as an additive to synthetic resins and polymer dispersions as well as the use of starches as extenders for synthetic adhesives. 90% of all starch-based adhesives are used in the production of corrugated board, paper sacks and bags, composite materials for paper and aluminum, boxes and wetting glue for envelopes, stamps, etc.
2.3 Textile and Textile Care Industry
Another possible use as adjuvant and additive is in the production of textiles and textile care products. Within the textile industry, a differentiation can be made between the following four fields of application: the use of starch as a sizing agent, i.e. as an adjuvant for smoothing and strengthening the burring behavior for the protection against tensile forces active in weaving as well as for the increase of wear resistance during weaving, as an agent for textile improvement mainly after quality-deteriorating pretreatments, such as bleaching, dying, etc., as thickener in the production of dye pastes for the prevention of dye diffusion and as an additive for warping agents for sewing yarns.
2.4 Building Industry
The fourth area of application of starch is its use as an additive in building materials. One example is the production of gypsum plaster boards, in which the starch mixed in the thin plaster pastifies with the water, diffuses at the surface of the gypsum board and thus binds the cardboard to the board. Other fields of application are admixing it to plaster and mineral fibers. In ready-mixed concrete, starch may be used for the deceleration of the sizing process.
2.5 Ground Stabilization
Furthermore, the starch is advantageous for the production of means for ground stabilization used for the temporary protection of ground particles against water in artificial earth shifting. According to state-of-the-art knowledge, combination products consisting of starch and polymer emulsions can be considered to have the same erosion- and incrustation-reducing effect as the products used so far; however, they are considerably less expensive.
2.6 Use of Starch in Plant Protectives and Fertilizers
Another field of application is the use of starch in plant protectives for the modification of the specific properties of these preparations. For instance, starches are used for improving the wetting of plant protectives and fertilizers, for the dosed release of the active ingredients, for the conversion of liquid, volatile and/or odorous active ingredients into microcristalline, stable, deformable substances, for mixing incompatible compositions and for the prolongation of the duration of the effect due to a reduced disintegration.
2.7 Drugs, Medicine and Cosmetics Industry
Starch may also be used in the fields of drugs, medicine and in the cosmetics industry. In the pharmaceutical industry, the starch may be used as a binder for tablets or for the dilution of the binder in capsules. Furthermore, starch is suitable as disintegrant for tablets since, upon swallowing, it absorbs fluid and after a short time it swells so much that the active ingredient is released. For qualitative reasons, medicinal flowance and dusting powders are further fields of application. In the field of cosmetics, the starch may for example be used as a carrier of powder additives, such as scents and salicylic acid. A relatively extensive field of application for the starch is toothpaste.
2.8 Starch as an Additive in Coal and Briquettes
The use of starch as an additive in coal and briquettes is also thinkable. By adding starch, coal can be quantitatively agglomerated and/or briquetted in high quality, thus preventing premature disintegration of the briquettes. Barbecue coal contains between 4 and 6% added starch, calorated coal between 0.1 and 0.5%. Furthermore, the starch is suitable as a binding agent since adding it to coal and briquette can considerably reduce the emission of toxic substances.
2.9 Processing of Ore and Coal Slurry
Furthermore, the starch may be used as a flocculant in the processing of ore and coal slurry.
2.10 Starch as an Additive in Casting
Another field of application is the use as an additive to process materials in casting. For various casting processes cores produced from sands mixed with binding agents are needed. Nowadays, the most commonly used binding agent is bentonite mixed with modified starches, mostly swelling starches.
The purpose of adding starch is increased flow resistance as well as improved binding strength. Moreover, swelling starches may fulfill more prerequisites for the production process, such as dispersability in cold water, rehydratisability, good mixability in sand and high capability of binding water.
2.11 Use of Starch in Rubber Industry
In the rubber industry starch may be used f or improving the technical and optical quality. Reasons for this are improved surface gloss, grip and appearance. For this purpose, the starch is dispersed on the sticky rubberized surfaces of rubber substances before the cold vulcanization. It may also be used for improving the printability of rubber.
2.12 Production of Leather Substitutes
Another field of application for the modified starch is the production of leather substitutes.
2.13 Starch in Synthetic Polymers
In the plastics market the following fields of application are emerging: the integration of products derived from starch into the processing process (starch is only a filler, there is no direct bond between synthetic polymer and starch) or, alternatively, the integration of products derived from starch into the production of polymers (starch and polymer form a stable bond).
The use of the starch as a pure filler cannot compete with other substances such as talcum. This situation is different when the specific starch properties become effective and the property profile of the end products is thus clearly changed. One example is the use of starch products in the processing of thermoplastic materials, such as polyethylene. Thereby, starch and the synthetic polymer are combined in a ratio of 1:1 by means of coexpression to form a xe2x80x98master batchxe2x80x99, from which various products are produced by means of common techniques using granulated polyethylene. The integration of starch in polyethylene films may cause an increased substance permeability in hollow bodies, improved water vapor permeability, improved antistatic behavior, improved anti-block behavior as well as improved printability with aqueous dyes.
Another possibility is the use of the starch in polyurethane foams. Due to the adaptation of starch derivatives as well as due to the optimization of processing techniques, it is possible to specifically control the reaction between synthetic polymers and the starch""s hydroxy groups. The results are polyurethane films having the following property profiles due to the use of starch: a reduced coefficient of thermal expansion, decreased shrinking behavior, improved pressure/tension behavior, increased water vapor permeability without a change in water acceptance, reduced flammability and cracking density, no drop off of combustible parts, no halides and reduced aging. Disadvantages that presently still exist are reduced pressure and impact strength.
Product development of film is not the only option. Also solid plastics products, such as pots, plates and bowls can be produced by means of a starch content of more than 50%. Furthermore, the starch/polymer mixtures offer the advantage that they are much easier biodegradable.
Furthermore, due to their extreme capability to bind water, starch graft polymers have gained utmost importance. These are products having a backbone of starch and a side lattice of a synthetic monomer grafted on according to the principle of radical chain mechanism. The starch graft polymers available nowadays are characterized by an improved binding and retaining capability of up to 1000 g water per g starch at a high viscosity. These super absorbers are used mainly in the hygiene field, e.g. in products such as diapers and sheets, as well as in the agricultural sector, e.g. in seed pellets.
What is decisive for the use of the new starch modified by recombinant DNA techniques are, on the one hand, structure, water content, protein content, lipid content, fiber content, ashes/phosphate content, amylose/amylopectin ratio, distribution of the relative molar mass, degree of branching, granule size and shape as well as crystallization, and on the other hand, the properties resulting in the following features: flow and sorption behavior, pastification temperature, viscosity, thickening performance, solubility, paste structure, transparency, heat, shear and acid resistance, tendency to retrogradation, capability of gel formation, resistance to freezing/thawing, capability of complex formation, iodine binding, film formation, adhesive strength, enzyme stability, digestibility and reactivity.
The production of modified starch by genetically operating with a transgenic plant may modify the properties of the starch obtained from the plant in such a way as to render further modifications by means of chemical or physical methods superfluous. On the other hand, the starches modified by means of recombinant DNA techniques might be subjected to further chemical modification, which will result in further improvement of the quality for certain of the above-described fields of application. These chemical modifications are principally known to the person skilled in the art. These are particularly modifications by means of
leading to the formation of phosphate, nitrate, sulfate, xanthate, acetate and citrate starches. Other organic acids may also be used for the esterification:
formation of starch ethers
starch alkyl ether, O-allyl ether, hydroxylalkyl ether, O-carboxylmethyl ether, N-containing starch ethers, P-containing starch ethers and S-containing starch ethers.
formation of branched starches
formation of starch graft polymers.
The starches of the invention are preferably used in the production of packaging and disposable material.
In order to express the nucleic acid molecules of the invention in sense- or antisense-orientation in plant cells, these are linked to regulatory DNA elements which ensure the transcription in plant cells. Such regulatory DNA elements are particularly promoters. Basically any promoter which is active in plant cells may be used for the expression.
The promoter may be selected in such a way that the expression takes place constitutively or in a certain tissue, at a certain point of time of the plant development or at a point of time determined by external circumstances. With respect to the plant the promoter may be homologous or heterologous. Suitable promoters for a constitutive expression are, e.g. the 35S RNA promoter of the Cauliflower Mosaic Virus and the ubiquitin promoter from maize. For a tuber-specific expression in potatoes the patatin gene promoter B33 (Rocha-Sosa et al., EMBO J. 8 (1989), 23-29) can be used. An example for a promoter which ensures expression only in photosynthetically active tissues is the ST-LS1 promoter (Stockhaus et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84 (1987), 7943-7947; Stockhaus et al., EMBO J. 8 (1989), 2445-2451). For an endosperm-specific expression the HMG promoter from wheat, the USP promoter, the phaseolin promoter or promoters from zein genes from maize are suitable. Furthermore, a termination sequence may exist which serves to correctly end the transcription and to add a poly-A-tail to the transcript which is believed to stabilize the transcripts. Such elements are described in the literature (cf. Gielen et al., EMBO J. 8 (1989), 23-29) and can be exchanged as desired.
The present invention provides nucleic acid molecules encoding two distinctive types of starch synthase from wheat. This allows for the identification of the function of these isotypes in the starch biosynthesis as well as for the production of genetically modified plants in which the activity of at least one of these enzymes is modified. This enables the synthesis of starch with a modified structure and therefore with modified physico-chemical properties in the plants manipulated in such a way.
The nucleic acid molecules of the invention may also be used in order to produce plants in which the activity of at least one of the starch synthases of the invention is elevated or reduced and in which at the same time the activities of other enzymes involved in the starch biosynthesis are modified. Thereby, all kinds of combinations and permutations are thinkable. By modifying the activity of one or more isotypes of the starch synthases in plants, a synthesis of a starch modified in its structure is brought about. By increasing the activity of one or more isotypes of the starch synthases in the cells of the starch-storing tissue of transformed plants such as in the endosperm of maize or wheat or in the potato tuber, increased yields may be the result. For example, nucleic acid molecules encoding a protein of the invention, or corresponding antisense-constructs may be integrated into plant cells in which the synthesis of endogenous GBSS I-, SSS- or GBSS II-proteins is already inhibited due to an antisense-effect or a mutation, or in which the synthesis of the branching enzyme is inhibited (as described e.g. in Nakamura et al. (loc. cit.)).
If the inhibition of the synthesis of several starch synthases in transformed plants is to be achieved, DNA molecules can be used for transformation, which at the same time contain several regions in antisense-orientation controlled by a suitable promoter and encoding the corresponding starch synthases. Hereby, each sequence may be controlled by its own promoter or else the sequences may be transcribed as a fusion of a common promoter. The last alternative will generally be preferred as in this case the synthesis of the respective proteins should be inhibited to approximately the same extent.
Furthermore it is possible to construct DNA molecules which, apart from DNA sequences that encode starch synthases, contain further DNA sequences encoding other proteins involved in starch synthesis or modification. Hereby, the sequences may again be connected up in series and be transcribed by a common promoter. For the length of the individual coding regions used in such a construct the above-mentioned facts concerning the production of antisense-construct are also true. There is no upper limit for the number of antisense fragments transcribed from a promoter in such a DNA molecule. The resulting transcript, however, should not be longer than 10 kb, preferably 5 kb.
Coding regions which are located in antisense-orientation behind a suitable promoter in such DNA molecules in combination with other coding regions, may be derived from DNA sequences encoding the following proteins: granule-bound starch synthases (GBSS I and II), other soluble starch synthases, branching enzymes, debranching enzymes, discroportionizing enzymes and starch phosphorylases. This enumeration merely serves as an example. The use of other DNA sequences within the framework of such a combination is also thinkable.
By means of such constructs it is possible to inhibit the synthesis of several enzymes at the same time within the plant cells transformed with these molecules.
Furthermore, the constructs may be integrated into classical mutants which are defective for one or more genes of the starch biosynthesis. These defects may be related to the following proteins: granule-bound (GBSS I and II) and soluble starch synthases (SSS I and II), branching enzymes (BE I and II) debranching enzymes (R-enzymes), disproportionizing enzymes and starch phosphorylases. This enumeration merely serves as an example.
By means of such strategy it is furthermore possible to inhibit the synthesis of several enzymes at the same time within the plant cells transformed with these nucleic acid molecules. In order to prepare the integration of foreign genes into higher plants a high number of cloning vectors are at disposal, containing a replication signal for E.coli and a marker gene for the selection of transformed bacterial cells. Examples for such vectors are pBR322, pUC series, M13mp series, pACYC184 etc. The desired sequence may be integrated into the vector at a suitable restriction site. The obtained plasmid is used for the transformation of E.coli cells. Transformed E.coli cells are cultivated in a suitable medium and subsequently harvested and lysed. The plasmid is recovered. As an analyzing method for the characterization of the obtained plasmid DNA use is generally made of restriction analysis, gel electrophoresis and other biochemico-molecularbiological methods. After each manipulation the plasmid DNA may be cleaved and the obtained DNA fragments may be linked to other DNA sequences. Each plasmid DNA may be cloned into the same or in other plasmids. In order to integrate DNA into plant host cells a wide range of techniques are at disposal. These techniques comprise the transformation of plant cells with T-DNA by using Agrobacterium tumefaciens or Agrobacterium rhizogenes as transformation medium, the fusion of protoplasts, the injection and the electroporation of DNA, the integration of DNA by means of the biolistic method as well as further possibilities.
In the case of injection, the biolostic method and electroporation of DNA into plant cells, there are no special demands made to the plasmids used. Simple plasmids such as pUC derivatives may be used. However, in case that whole plants are to be regenerated from cells transformed in such a way, a selectable marker gene should be present.
Depending on the method of integrating desired genes into the plant cell, further DNA sequences may be necessary. If the Ti- or Ri-plasmid is used e.g. for the transformation of the plant cell, usually at least the right border, more frequently, however, the right and left border of the Ti- and Ri-plasmid T-DNA should be connected to the foreign gene to be integrated as a flanking region.
If Agrobacteria are used for the transformation, the DNA which is to be integrated should be cloned into special plasmids, namely either into an intermediate vector or into a binary vector. Due to sequences homologous to the sequences within the T-DNA, the intermediate vectors may be integrated into the Ti- or Ri-plasmid of the Agrobacterium due to homologous recombination. This also contains the vir-region necessary for the transfer of the T-DNA. Intermediate vectors cannot replicate in Agrobacteria. By means of a helper plasmid the intermediate vector may be transferred to Agrobacterium tumefaciens (conjugation). Binary vectors may replicate in E.coli as well as in Agrobacteria. They contain a selectable marker gene as well as a linker or polylinker which is framed by the right and the left T-DNA border region. They may be transformed directly into the Agrobacteria (Holsters et al. Mol. Gen. Genet. 163 (1978), 181-187). The Agrobacterium acting as host cell should contain a plasmid carrying a vir-region. The vir-region is usually necessary for the transfer of the T-DNA into the plant cell. Additional T-DNA may be present. The Agrobacterium transformed in such a way is used for the transformation of plant cells.
The use of T-DNA for the transformation of plant cells was investigated intensely and described sufficiently in EP 120 516; Hoekema, In: The Binary Plant Vector System Offsetdrukkerij Kanters B. V., Alblasserdam (1985), Chapter V; Fraley et al., Crit. Rev. Plant. Sci., 4, 1-46 and An et al. EMBO J. 4 (1985), 277-287.
For transferring the DNA into the plant cells, plant explants may suitably be co-cultivated with Agrobacterium tumefaciens or Agrobacterium rhizogenes. From the infected plant material (e.g. pieces of leaves, stem segments, roots, but also protoplasts or suspension-cultivated plant cells) whole plants may then be regenerated in a suitable medium which may contain antibiotics or biozides for the selection of transformed cells. The plants obtained in such a way may then be examined as to whether the integrated DNA is present or not. Other possibilities in order to integrate foreign DNA by using the biolistic method or by transforming protoplasts are known to the skilled person (cf. e.g. Willmitzer, L., 1993 Transgenic plants. In: Biotechnology, A Multi-Volume Comprehensive Treatise (H. J. Rehm, G. Reed, A. Pxc3xchler, P. Stadler, editors), Vol. 2, 627-659, VCH Weinheim-New York-Basel-Cambridge).
Alternative Systems for the transformation of monocotyledonous plants are the transformation by means of a biolistic approach, the electrically or chemically induced DNA integration in protoplasts, the electroporation of partially permeabilized cells, the macro-injection of DNA into inflorescences, the micro-injection of DNA into microspores and pro-embryos, the DNA integration by sprouting pollen and the DNA integration in embryos by swelling (review given in: Potrykus, Physiol. Plant (1990), 269-273).
Whereas the transformation of dicotyledonous plants by Ti-plasmid-vector systems by means of Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a well-established method, more recent studies indicate that the transformation with vectors based on Agrobacterium can also be used in the case of monocotyledonous plants (Chan et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 22 (1993), 491-506; Hiei et al., Plant J. 6 (1994), 271-282; Bytebier et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84 (1987), 5345-5349; Raineri et al., Bio/Technology 8 (1990), 33-38; Gould et al., Plant Physiol. 95 (1991), 426-434; Mooney et al., Plant, Cell Tiss. and Org. Cult. 25 (1991), 209-218; Li et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 20 (1992), 1037-1048).
Three of the above-mentioned transformation systems have in the past been established for various types of cereals: electroporation of plant tissue, transformation of protoplasts and the DNA-transfer by particle-bombardment in regenerative tissue and cells (review given in: Jxc3xa4hne et al., Euphytica 85 (1995), 35-44).
In the corresponding literature the transformation of wheat is described in various ways (reviewed in Maheshwari et al., Critical Reviews in Plant Science 14 (2) (1995), 149-178). Hess et al. (Plant Sci. 72 (1990), 233) used macroinjection in order to bring pollen and Agrobacteria close to each other. The mobilization of the plasmid containing the nptII gene as selectable marker was proved by means of the Southern blot analysis and the NPTII test. The transformants constituted a normal phenotype and were fertile. The kanamycin-resistence could be proved in two successive generations.
The first transgenic, fertile wheat plant that could be regenerated after its bombardment with microprojectile-bound DNA was described in Vasil et al. (Bio/Technology 10 (1992), 667-674). The target tissue for the bombardment was an embryogenic callus culture (type C callus). The bar gene, encoding a phosphinotricine phosphotransferase and therefore conveying a resistence against the herbicide phosphinotricine, was used as selectable marker gene.
A further system was described by Weeks et al. (Plant Physiol. 102 (1993), 1077-1084) as well as Becker et al. (Plant J. 5(2) (1994), 299-307). Here the scutellum of immature embryos was used as target tissue for the DNA transformation. In an introductory in vitro phase the scutellum had been made to induce somatic embryos. The efficiency of the transformation is considerably higher in the system developed by Becker et al. (loc. cit.), with 1 transgenic plant per 83 embryos of the xe2x80x98Floridaxe2x80x99 kind, than in the system established by Weeks et al., with 1 to 2 transgenic plants per 1000 embryos of the xe2x80x98Bobwhitexe2x80x99 kind.
The system developed by Becker et al. (loc. cit.) constitutes a basis for the transformation experiments described in the examples.
Once the introduced DNA has been integrated in the genome of the plant cell, it usually continues to be stable there and also remains within the descendants of the originally transformed cell. It usually contains a selectable marker which confers resistance against a biozide such as phosphinotricine or against an antibiotic such as kanamycin, G 418, bleomycin or hygromycin etc. to the transformed plant cells. The individually selected marker should therefore allow for a selection of transformed cells to cells lacking the integrated DNA.
The transformed cells grow in the usual way within the plants (see also McCormick et al., Plant Cell Reports 5 (1986), 81-84). The resulting plants can be cultivated in the usual way and cross-bred with plants having the same transformed genetic heritage or another genetic heritage. The resulting hybrid individuals have the corresponding phenotypic properties. The plant cells produce seeds.
Two or more generations should be grown in order to ensure whether the phenotypic feature is kept stably and whether it is transferred. Furthermore, seeds should be harvested in order to ensure that the corresponding phenotype or other properties will remain.
In the examples use is made of the following methods:
1. Cloning
For cloning in E.coli the vector pBluescript II SK (Stratagene) was used.
2. Bacterial Strains
For the Bluescript vector and for the antisense-constructs use was made of the E.coli strain DH5xcex1 (Bethesda Research Laboratories, Gaithersburgh, USA). For the in vivo excision the E.coli strain XL1-Blue was used.
3. Transfromation of Immature Sheat Embryos
The indicated media were adjusted to a pH value of 5.6 with KOH and reinforced with 0.3% of Gelrite.
The method for transforming immature embryos from wheat was developed and optimized by Becker and Lxc3x6rz (D. Becker and H. Lxc3x6rz, Plant Tissue Culture Manual (1996), B12: 1-20).
In the experiments described in the following the protocol laid down by Becker and Lxc3x6rz (loc. cit.) was observed.
For the transformation ears with caryopses in the developing stage of 12 to 14 days are harvested after anthesis and subjected to surface sterilization. The isolated scutella are plated with the embryo axis facing the medium on the induction medium #30.
After 2-4 days of preculturing (26xc2x0 C., dark) the explantates are transferred to medium #39 for osmotic pre-culturing (2-4 h, 26xc2x0 C., dark)
For biolistic transformation 29 xcexcg of gold particles onto which 5 xcexcg or 73 ng of the target-DNA have been precipitated are used for each shot. As the experiments carried out are co-transformations, the target-DNA is added to the precipitation mixture in a proportion of 1:1, consisting of the target gene and a resistence marker gene (bar-gene).
4. DIG-labelling of the DNA Fragments
The labelling of DNA fragments used as screening probes was achieved by a specific PCR by incorporating a DIG-labelled dUTP (Boehringer Mannheim, Germany).

Nucleic acid molecules encoding enzymes from wheat which are involved in starch synthesis

Abstract: The invention further relates to vectors and host cells containing said nucleic acid molecules, in particular transformed plant cells and plants regenerated from these cells, which exhibit an increased or a reduced activity of the described starch synthases.


A method of controlling noise/vibration in a vehicle having a powertrain includes sensing noise/vibration in the vehicle. An operating point of the powertrain is adjusted and a constant transmission output power is maintained to reduce the noise/vibration.

In some internal combustion engines, an engine control system can deactivate cylinders when engine loads are low. This process is generally referred to as variable displacement, or displacement on demand (DOD). For example, an eight-cylinder engine with DOD can be operated using four cylinders to improve fuel economy by reducing pumping losses. Operation using all of the engine cylinders is referred to as an activated mode. A deactivated mode refers to operation using fewer than all of the cylinders of the engine (i.e., one or more cylinders are not active).
While a vehicle engine is operating in a deactivated mode, the engine speeds and loads can give rise to vibrations different from those occurring in the vehicle while the engine is operating on all cylinders. It is always desirable to provide operating conditions for a vehicle that minimize noise and/or vibration that might be considered unpleasant by a driver of the vehicle. Materials and/or systems can be used to contain vibration and/or control noise in vehicle engine and/or powertrain components, but these materials and/or systems are costly and are typically controlled externally from the affected components.

Sensor feedback control for noise and vibration


A ceramic component, wherein the component contains 20 to 60 wt. % SiC, 5 to 40 wt. % free silicon and 10 to 65 wt. % free carbon. The disclosure also relates to the use of the component. The method for producing the ceramic component includes the following steps: a) providing a green body based on carbon, which has been produced by means of a 3D-printing method, b) impregnating the green body with a solution selected from the group consisting of a sugar solution, a starch solution or a cellulose solution, or a resin system including a mixture containing at least one resin, at least one solvent and at least one curing agent, wherein the at least one resin and the at least one solvent are different, c) drying or curing the impregnated green body.

Silicon carbide ceramics are generally characterised by their high hardness, good abrasion resistance, high chemical stability, high strength even at high temperatures and good temperature resistance with low thermal expansion and high thermal conductivity. One way to produce this ceramic is to press carbon-containing fillers together with a binding agent and to cure them to form a green body. The green body is then carbonised or pyrolysed at an increased temperature, in such a manner that a carbon body is created, which is infiltrated with liquid silicon, wherein the carbon reacts with silicon and forms silicon carbide. Usually, such a method results in a composite material which, in addition to SiC, contains unreacted carbon, so-called free carbon, and free silicon. Such a composite material is called a C/Si/SiC composite material. In this context, the terms "free silicon" and "free carbon" refer to the elements in their pure form that are not chemically bonded or are only bonded to themselves. In such a composite material, the silicon carbide and the free carbon are inert constituents, whereas the free silicon is the least chemically and thermally stable constituent and cannot withstand attack from, e.g. hydrofluoric acids or hot alkalis such as hot NaOH or hot KOH—in contrast to free carbon and silicon carbide. Since the free silicon is meltable, the operating temperature of the C/Si/SiC composite material is also limited to a temperature lower than the melting temperature of silicon, which is 1414° C. The free carbon in such a composite material can in principle be attacked by oxidising media, but the carbon is surrounded by a SiC coating and thereby protected by the liquid siliconisation.
Components made of silicon carbide ceramics, which have a complex geometric structure, are difficult to produce by simple mechanical processing due to the high hardness of the ceramic. However, such components can be produced easily and cost-effectively by means of an additive manufacturing method, the 3D-printing method.
J. Moon et al., Materials Science and Engineering A298, 2001, 110-119 describe the production of a ceramic composite material containing SiC, in which a carbon shaped body is produced using a powder of glassy carbon and a mixture of furfuryl resin/acetone as binding agent by means of the 3D-printing method. Following the pyrolysis of the shaped body, siliconisation is performed under vacuum. The C/Si/SiC composite materials produced in this manner have an inhomogeneous microstructure composition, comprising comparatively large lakes or regions of free silicon and amounts of free carbon, as can be seen from the microscopic images. The free carbon corresponds in this case to the carbon not converted to SiC, which is surrounded by SiC.
WO 2017/089494 A1 discloses ceramic composite materials containing SiC, which have also been produced using the 3D-printing method. In this case a carbon body is produced using a powder comprising coke and a liquid binding agent such as furan resin or phenolic resin. Following the carbonisation of the resulting carbon body, siliconisation is performed. The C/Si/SiC composite materials produced in this manner typically have a free silicon content of more than 30 weight percent (wt. %) and a free carbon content of around 40 wt. %. These composite materials also show an inhomogeneous microstructure composition having comparatively large lakes or regions of free silicon and an amount of free carbon, which substantially originates from the carbon powder.
Due to the inhomogeneous microstructure composition, in particular the presence of large lakes or regions of free silicon, the chemical stability, in particular against acids or hot alkalis such as hydrofluoric acid or hot NaOH liquor, and the temperature resistance of the ceramic composites containing silicon carbide are reduced.
The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a ceramic component containing silicon carbide which, in addition to high hardness, high strength, good abrasion resistance, also has high chemical stability and good temperature resistance. In addition, it should be possible to manufacture this component with practically unlimited geometric complexity simply and cost-effectively.


A field generator/detector including at least one super-toroidal conductor and a device to energize the super-toroidal conductor to generate varying electric and magnetic fields. Where conductor has a length l, the super-toroidal conductor is energized with at least one frequency component equal to or greater than 2c/l, where c is the speed of light in free space. Then the near field generated at this frequency close to the super-toroidal conductor has a strongly inhomogeneous spatial distribution similar or more complex than that generated by four or more electric charges and/or current loops. At any particular moment in time, the amplitudes of the electric and magnetic fields components of such a complex field change significantly over a distance comparable with the smallest winding feature of the super-toroidal conductor. The field generator/detector may be used in a sample analyzer having a chamber and a sample holder within the chamber. The chamber contains at least a first super-toroidal conductor having at least the length l. This super-toroidal conductor is energized to generate oscillating electric and magnetic field in the region of a sample in the chamber. The response of the generated field to the presence of a sample on the sample holder is determined, so that an analysis can be made. The field generator/detector may used also as a treatment apparatus for treating a desired component of a specimen. The treatment super-toroidal conductor is energized at a frequency or set of frequencies or continuous band of frequencies greater than 2c/l to produce strongly inhomogeneous electric and magnetic fields.

The invention relates to a generator of electric and magnetic fields, particularly incorporating a super-toroidal conductor. The invention also relates to a corresponding detector of electric and magnetic fields and to a sample analyzer and treatment apparatus incorporating the field generator and/or detector.
The use of toroidal windings as electromagnetic radiating antennas is known, e.g. from U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,622,558, 4,751,515, 5,442,369 and 5,654,723. However, none of these prior patents contemplate the use of a super-toroidal winding for generating an electromagnetic field. Further, the last two patents are particularly concerned with ensuring that a toroidal antenna can be designed to operate at a particular frequency to produce an electromagnetic field, equivalent to that produced by classic electric or magnetic dipole antennas.
An object of the present invention is the generation of a varying electric and magnetic fields using a super-toroidally wound conductor. In this context, a super-toroidal conductor is one in which the windings of a toroidally wound conductor are constituted by helical windings. Further explanation of super-toroidal conductors of various orders will be given later herein. Another object of the present invention is the generation of periodically varying electric and magnetic fields with strong spatial inhomogeneousity, that is fields with high spatial gradients of the field""s amplitudes by comparison with the typical dipole electric or magnetic field produced by a radiating antenna. A further object of the present invention is the detection of electric and magnetic fields of this kind using a super-toroidal conductor as a detecting element.
A still further object of the present invention is the analysis of samples using strongly inhomogeneous fields generated by super-toroidal conductors.
A still further object of the present invention is the treatment of specimens using such strongly inhomogeneous periodically varying fields.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a field generator comprising at least one super-toroidal conductor and means to energize the super-toroidal conductor to generate varying electric and magnetic fields. Where conductor has a length l, the super-toroidal conductor should be energized with at least one frequency component equal to or greater than 2c/l, where c is the speed of light in free space. Then the near field generated at this frequency close to the super-toroidal conductor will have a strongly inhomogeneous spatial distribution similar or more complex than that generated by four or more electric charges and/or current loops. At any particular moment in time, the amplitudes of the electric and magnetic fields components of such a complex field change significantly over a distance comparable with the smallest winding feature of the super-toroidal conductor. Such a strongly inhomogeneous field can be distinguished from the classic electromagnetic fields produced in the prior art.
The invention also provides a detector for electric and magnetic fields comprising at least one super-toroidal conductor and means responsive to electrical currents generated in said conductor by varying electric and magnetic fields.
Examples of the invention provide a sample analyzer comprising a chamber, and a sample holder within the chamber. The chamber contains at least a first super-toroidal conductor having at least the length l. This super-toroidal conductor is energized to generate oscillating electric and magnetic field in the region of any sample on the sample holder. The electromagnetic field varies with a frequency component equal to or greater than 2c/l to produce a strongly spatial inhomogeneous field. Then the response of the generated field to the presence of a sample on the sample holder is determined, so that an analysis can be made.
The invention also provides treatment apparatus for treating a desired component of a specimen. The apparatus comprises a treatment super-toroidal conductor having a length l. The treatment super-toroidal conductor is energized at a frequency or set of frequencies or continuous band of frequencies greater than 2c/l to produce strongly inhomogeneous electric and magnetic fields. The specimen is exposed to this field and the frequency or set of frequencies or continuous band of frequencies is selected to provide the required treatment of the desired component of the specimen. In order to select the required frequency or set of frequencies or continuous band of frequencies for treatment, a sample corresponding to the desired component of the specimen to be treated may be analyzed in the above described sample analyzer. The treatment frequency or set of frequencies or continuous band of frequencies is then selected in accordance with the response determined in the sample analyzer. In this way, treatment of predominantly or only selected components of a specimen can be ensured by incorporating a sample of the desired component in the associated sample analyzer.
For treatment purposes the electromagnetic field may be modulated by a low frequency signal within a band of from 0.001 to 1000 cycles per second.
Examples of the present invention will now be described with reference to the following drawings.

Generator of electric and magnetic fields, a corresponding field detector, and a sample analyzer and treatment apparatus incorporating the field generator and/or field detector


A photosensitive member for electrophotography having a photosensitive layer containing a hydrazone compound represented by the following general formula [I]: ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 independently represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkoxy group or a halogen atom; R.sup.3 represents a halogen atom; m is 1 or 2; and n is 0, 1 or 2. The photosensitive member has not only extremely high sensitivity but also sufficiently low residual potential. It is also highly resistant to fatigue so that the repeated use provides it with little accumulation of residual potential and little variation of surface potential and sensitivity.

The present invention relates to a photosensitive member for electrophotography, and more particularly to a high-sensitivity photosensitive member for electrophotography having a photosensitive layer containing an organic photoconductive material.
The photosensitive layers of photosensitive members for electrophotography were conventionally made from inorganic photoconductive materials such as selenium, cadmium sulfide, zinc oxide, etc. However, selenium not only needs to be recovered as a toxic material but also has poor heat resistance because it is crystallized by heat. Cadmium sulfide also needs to be recovered as a toxic material and has poor humidity resistance. As for zinc oxide, it has poor humidity resistance and insufficient durability for repeated copying. Thus, efforts have been made to develop new photosensitive members.
Recently, research has been advanced on organic photoconductive materials for use in the photosensitive layers of electrophotographic photosensitive members, and some of them have been put into practical use. The organic photoconductive materials are superior to the inorganic counterparts in that the former is lighter, easier to form into films, easier to manufacture photosensitive members and even capable of providing transparent photosensitive members depending on the types thereof.
Despite these advantages, the organic photoconductive materials have not been widely used for photosensitive members for electrophotography, because they are inferior to the inorganic counterparts with respect to sensitivity and durability.
What has recently become a main stream of development is a so-called separated function-type photosensitive member in which different compounds separately bear the functions of generating and transporting charge carriers, since such function separation is highly effective for increasing sensitivity. This type of the organic photosensitive members have also been put into practical use.
Useful as charge carrier-transporting media are high-molecular, photoconductive compounds such as polyvinyl carbazole, and low-molecular, photoconductive compounds dispersed in polymer binders.
As for organic, low-molecular, photoconductive compounds, they can easily provide photosensitive members having excellent mechanical properties because their binders can be selected from polymers having good film-forming properties, flexibility and adhesion. Nevertheless, it was difficult to find out compounds suitable for producing photosensitive members with sufficiently high sensitivity.

Photosensitive member for electrophotography


A communication device for implementing a system for remotely managing at least one item of equipment by a management application able to communicate via a telecommunication network with an application embedded in the item of equipment. The device includes a first communication interface allowing implementation of a local communication link with the embedded application, a second communication interface allowing access to the telecommunication network, and a communication management device configured to communicate with the embedded application via the first interface and with the management application via the second interface, serving as communication relay between the embedded application and the management application, and configured to transmit to one of the two applications a message received from the other application, according to predefined transfer rules and as a function of at least one parameter received with the message.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a communication device for implementing a system for remotely managing equipment as well as a communication system for implementing a system for remotely managing equipment.
The invention applies to the technical field of machine to machine communications, denoted M2M for short. In these communication techniques, two categories of machine are considered:                the first category consists of equipment intended to be controlled remotely and comprising an embedded application; this may for example be an automatic drinks dispenser, a water meter, etc.;        the second category consists of computer systems of processing server type, integrating a management application intended to communicate with an application embedded in an item of equipment so as to manage this item of equipment remotely.
2. Discussion of the Background
Remote management of equipment can relate to various aspects: supervision of the equipment, its remote driving, remote parametrization and remote updating of the equipment or else the implementation of telemonitoring, telemetry, teledetection functions etc. This remote management is usually performed through message exchanges between the embedded application and the management application.
For example, in the case of a remote management system for automatic drinks dispensers, messages can be transmitted:                on the one hand from the computer system to the dispensers, for example to modify the selling prices of the products sold, update the embedded application, or update the parameters of the machine;        on the other hand from a dispenser to the computer system, for example to raise alarms in the event that a break-in or an electrical fault is detected, to upload information on the state of the dispenser's stock of drinks, to upload statistical information on the products consumed.
Current systems for remotely managing equipment do not exhibit sufficient performance as regards the management of M2M communication on account in particular of the complexity of this type of communication. Specifically, it involves a communication operating by commands/responses, requiring in order to be efficacious a certain degree of automation in the processing of the messages as well as guarantees in terms of reliability of the exchanges or in terms of quality of service.
Moreover, the current solutions in the field of M2M are very nonstandardized, and consequently, the development costs for implementing efficacious solutions are too high.

Communications device and system for implementing a management system remote from devices


A system for dividing a single mass flow, including an inlet adapted to receive the single mass flow and at least two flow lines connected to the inlet. Each flow line includes a flow meter and a valve. The system also includes a controller programmed to receive a desired ratio of flow through a user interface, receive signals indicative of measured flow from the flow meters, calculate an actual ratio of flow through the flow lines based upon the measured flows, and compare the actual ratio to the desired ratio. The controller is also programmed to calculate the desired flow through at least one of the flow lines if the actual ratio is unequal to the desired ratio, and provide a signal indicative of the desired flow to at least one of the valves.

The present disclosure relates generally to semiconductor processing equipment and, more particularly, to systems, devices, and methods for delivering contaminant-free, precisely metered quantities of process gases to semiconductor process chambers. Even more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a system and method for dividing a single mass flow into a desired ratio of two or more flows.
The fabrication of semiconductor devices often requires the careful synchronization and precisely measured delivery of as many as a dozen gases to a process chamber. Various recipes are used in the fabrication process, and many discrete processing steps, where a semiconductor device is cleaned, polished, oxidized, masked, etched, doped, metalized, etc., can be required. The steps used, their particular sequence, and the materials involved all contribute to the making of particular devices.
Accordingly, wafer fabrication facilities are commonly organized to include areas in which chemical vapor deposition, plasma deposition, plasma etching, sputtering and other similar gas manufacturing processes are carried out. The processing tools, be they chemical vapor deposition reactors, vacuum sputtering machines, plasma etchers or plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, must be supplied with various process gases. Pure gases must be supplied to the tools in contaminant-free, precisely metered quantities.
In a typical wafer fabrication facility the gases are stored in tanks, which are connected via piping or conduit to a gas box. The gas box delivers contaminant-free, precisely metered quantities of pure inert or reactant gases from the tanks of the fabrication facility to a process tool. The gas box, or gas metering system includes a plurality of gas paths having gas metering units, such as valves, pressure regulators and transducers, mass flow controllers and filters/purifiers. Each gas path has its own inlet for connection to separate sources of gas, but all of the gas paths converge into a single outlet for connection to the process tool.
Sometimes dividing the combined process gases equally among multiple process chambers, or among separate portions of a single process chamber, is desired. In such cases, the single outlet of the gas box is connected to secondary flow paths. To insure that the primary flow of the outlet of the gas box is divided equally among the secondary flow paths, flow restrictors are placed in each secondary flow path.
What is still desired, however, is a mass flow ratio system and method for dividing a single flow into a desired ratio of two or more flows. Preferably, the system and method will operate independently of the gas or gases controlled. In addition, the system and method preferably will not disturb the performance of any upstream mass flow controllers.
Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a system for dividing a single mass flow into two or more secondary mass flows of desired ratios. The system includes an inlet adapted to receive the single mass flow and at least two secondary flow lines connected to the inlet. Each flow line includes a flow meter measuring flow through the flow line and providing a signal indicative of the measured flow, and a valve controlling flow through the flow line based upon receiving a signal indicative of desired flow rate.
The system also includes a user interface adapted to receive at least one desired ratio of flow, and a controller connected to the flow meters, the valves, and the user interface. The controller is programmed to receive the desired ratio of flow through the user interface, receive the signals indicative of measured flow from the flow meters, calculate an actual ratio of flow through the flow lines based upon the measured flow, and compare the actual ratio to the desired ratio. The controller is also programmed to calculate the desired flow through at least one of the flow lines if the actual ratio is unequal to the desired ratio, and provide a signal indicative of the desired flow to at least one of the valves.
The present disclosure also provides a method for dividing a single mass flow into two or more secondary mass flows of desired ratios. The method includes dividing a single mass flow into at least two secondary flow lines, measuring mass flow through each flow line, receiving at least one desired ratio of mass flow, and calculating an actual ratio of flow through the flow lines based upon the measured flows. If the actual ratio does not equal the desired ratio, the method also includes calculating a desired flow through at least one of the flow lines, and regulating the actual flow in that flow line to the desired flow.
The system and method of the present disclosure provide the benefit of operating independently of the gas or gases controlled. In addition, the system and method do not disturb the performance of any upstream mass flow controllers.
These and other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, which are illustrated in the attached drawing figures.


In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method for receiving a request from a caller code portion of a first color to color at least a portion of a stack with a second color, determining if the request is valid, and if so remapping the stack portion from a first mapping colored with the first color to a second mapping colored with the second color. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to computer systems, and more particularly to protecting access to memory regions.
Memory-based attacks are a threat to the security of computer systems. Certain attacks involve storing malicious code such as a virus or a worm in the memory of a system, and then exploiting bugs and/or buffer overflows while running legitimate programs to transfer control to the malicious code. One approach to preventing this type of attack is to include an "execute disable" bit in a page table entry that may be used to designate pages where data is stored as non-executable, so that malicious code cannot be stored and subsequently executed from such memory spaces. However, memory based-attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and additional approaches to preventing such attacks are needed. This includes protection from buffer overflows that execute existing code or corrupt memory, malicious kernel or application components, root-kits, spyware, and computer viruses.
Various protection measures exist in today's systems. For example, processes can be separated into user level processes and system level processes. These processes operate at different privilege levels and accordingly provide some measure of protection. However, these and other protection measures are implemented at a high level and provide for only coarse-grained protection, as these measures operate at process level and do not provide protection at finer grains such as at memory region levels, (e.g., at memory page level), or protect portions of processes from each other. At the same time, the various protection measures can raise complexity and impede the progress of efficient operation.

Dynamically sharing a stack between different code segments


In a motor vehicle, messages from control units arrive at input ports of a switch apparatus with each message indicating a destination address and a priority level. Each input port of the switch apparatus receives at most messages with a predetermined maximum data volume overall, for one priority level or for some or all of the priority levels, during each predetermined unit of time. The received messages are assigned to output port(s) based on their destination address and the messages assigned to each output port are sent onward. This guarantees time limits for the respective transmission period.

Described below is a method for transmitting messages between control units of a motor vehicle. The messages are transmitted as data packets via a data network in which at least one switch apparatus (switch) forwards or assigns the messages.
In a motor vehicle, a requirement is usually imposed on the data network with respect to the temporal behavior in order to limit a maximum transmission period for certain messages, for example from a safety-relevant driver assistance system. Time-controlled approaches in the form of data buses, such as FlexRay or the TTEthernet or TTP, are known for this purpose. These are based on a time-controlled transmission plan or schedule which must be implemented in all control units involved. However, this results in the entire data network being based on a global static schedule which requires an adaptation for all control units if a new control unit is intended to be retrofitted.
DE 103 09 164 A1 discloses a method for providing a schedule in a so-called switched network. Data messages to be transmitted in real time are transmitted separately from other data messages. However, this means that the real-time data messages must wait during the transmission of the other data messages.
DE 10 2011 076 357 A1 discloses a data network for an aircraft, in which data are provided with priorities in order to hereby give preference to the forwarding of particularly important data. However, this cannot prevent a control unit having a multiplicity of unimportant data packets from still being able to hinder the data traffic in the network.
DE 10 2007 061 986 A1 discloses a method for also being able to provide packet-based data traffic in a time-controlled bus system, for example the FlexRay bus.
WO 2010/136023 A1 discloses a method for optimizing packet-based data transmission. Data packets are here provided with a priority in order to be able to transmit them in the order of their importance in the local Ethernet network. Data packets having a high priority can be passed via their own queue.

Method for transmitting messages between control units of a motor vehicle, and switch apparatus, and motor vehicle


A pointer remotely points a display screen of a large screen display device. The display screen is picked up by a monitor camera. An image processing unit extracts a feature of the pointer used for pointing based on the resulting image signal to identify the position of the pointing point and the pointer based on the feature. A computer generates information on an object to be displayed at a position pointed by the pointer. The generated information is displayed on a display device (CRT display device or large screen display device) assigned to the pointer. Even when a plurality of pointers are used, the information on the object to be displayed pointed by the pointer is properly displayed.

The present invention relates to an information presentation apparatus and an information display apparatus, and more particularly to information presentation apparatus and display apparatus suitable for use in a system having a large screen display apparatus and a small screen display apparatus.
Recently, the information presentation using a display apparatus with a large display screen (including a mimic display apparatus) has been practiced or planned in the operation control in a power generation plant or a chemical plant, , the information presentation in a financial organization or a securities organization, and the presentation in a conference. It has been desired to be able to remotely designate information to be displayed on a large screen display apparatus and provide information to the designated object to be displayed.
As technologies to cope with such a demand, a pointing device apparatus and an input method disclosed in JP-A-3-179517 and a presentation apparatus disclosed in JP-A-4-37922 have been proposed.
In JP-A-3-179517, an infrared ray projector is used to remotely point a display screen of a large screen display apparatus, the pointing point is detected based on an output signal from a monitor camera which monitors the display screen, and a marker indicating the pointing of that point is displayed on the large screen display apparatus. Further, an entered command is executed by using separately provided command execution means for the pointed object to be displayed.
In JP-A-4-37922, a desired area on an image projected on a screen or wall is pointed by a pointing bar with a light emitter, the pointing area is detected based on an output signal of a video camera which monitors the screen and the image information is changed.
JP-A-4-123122 discloses an input apparatus having a sensor, an electronic equipment and a display device. In this input apparatus, as shown in 4, a piano keyboard, for example, is displayed on the display device by using a floppy disk which stores game software. A user who wants to play a piano attaches a pointer on each of his/her fingers and moves his/her fingers in accordance with the key positions. Each pointer outputs a light of different wavelength. The sensor senses each of the light emitting positions of the lights of different wavelengths and displays it as a cursor on the display screen of the display device. The cursor is displayed on the keyboard as the finger of the player moves so that a sound corresponding to the key is generated. Such processing is effected by a computer. For example, when three fingers are moved to display cursors simultaneously at keys do, mi and so, harmonic sound of do, mi and so is generated.
In the techniques disclosed in JP-A-3-17951 and JP-A-4-37922, a single pointer (infrared ray projector or pointing bar) is used. When a plurality of such pointers are used, it is not possible to identify which pointer points which area on the display screen. Accordingly, it is not possible to use a plurality of pointers to cause the pointing area or object to discriminately execute the command.
JP-A-4-123122 solves the above problem by using a plurality of pointers which output different pointing signals (different wavelengths). Namely, a pointer which points a key is detected by detecting the wavelength of the light. A sound of the key pointed by the discriminated pointer is outputted. However, since the light outputted from the pointer is directly detected, the key pointed by the pointer cannot be precisely designated by the keyboard displayed on the display device. As a result, the information requested by the pointing by the pointer cannot be precisely provided in a simple manner.

Information presentation apparatus and information display apparatus