Abstract: Compositions and methods for improving plant growth are provided herein. Polynucleotides, polypeptides, and expression constructs for expressing transcription factors (TFs) whose expression may improve agronomic properties including but not limited to crop yield, biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, and early vigor, plants comprising the polynucleotides, polypeptides, and expression constructs, and methods of producing transgenic plants are also provided.

Abstract: Compositions and methods for improving plant growth are provided herein. Polynucleotides, polypeptides, and expression constructs for expressing transcription factors (TFs) whose expression may improve agronomic properties including but not limited to crop yield, biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, and early vigor, plants comprising the polynucleotides, polypeptides, and expression constructs, and methods of producing transgenic plants are also provided.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to the use of certain selected downstream box (“DB”) regions and codon-optimized DB regions to achieve high-level protein expression in transformed organisms or organelles. In particular, high level protein expression in plastids and bacteria can be achieved by fusion of the TetC or NPTII DB region to a gene of interest. Protein expression in a transformed organism or organelle can also be enhanced by optimization of codon usage within the DB region based on codons preferentially found in the DB regions of highly expressed native genes in the organism or organelle. Methods for enhanced protein expression, and related nucleic acid molecules, expression vectors, transformed cells, and transgenic organisms, are provided. The present invention is particularly useful for expressing cellulolytic enzymes, including a suite of several cellulolytic enzymes, in plastids, bacteria and algae.