Potato alpha -amylase genes

摘要

alpha -Amylase, an enzyme that hydrolyzes starch, can be found in all plants. The modification of potato starch production, in particular, is important in the preparation of various food products. The present invention pertains to expression vectors for producing antisense alpha -amylase RNA which is complementary to, or which hybridizes specifically to, potato alpha -amylase mRNA. This invention also includes a vector system which operates to introduce into the genome of a plant an expression vector for producing antisense alpha -amylase RNA, and a microorganism of the genus Agrobacterium which contains such a vector system and which is capable of infecting a plant. This invention also provides a genetically modified plant containing in its genome an expression vector for producing antisense alpha -amylase RNA.