Compositions and methods for control of insect infestations in plants

• US 20090307803A1
• Filed: 04/08/2005
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bei Zhang, David K. Kovalic, James A. Baum, James K. Roberts, Larry A. Gilbertson, Maolong Lu, Thomas J. Larosa, Tichafa R.I. Munyikwa, Wei Wu
• Original Assignee: Bei Zhang, David K. Kovalic, James A. Baum, James K. Roberts, Larry A. Gilbertson, Maolong Lu, Thomas J. Larosa, Tichafa R.I. Munyikwa, Wei Wu
• Inventors: Lu, Maolong, Munyikwa, Tichafa R.I., Roberts, James K., Gilbertson, Larry A., Kovalic, David K., Wu, Wei, Zhang, Bei, Baum, James A., LaRosa, Thomas J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,946,510 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 800/298
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 63/23 B. thuringiensis
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 63/50 Isolated enzymes; Isolated proteins peptides A01N37/46
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 63/60 Isolated nucleic acids
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8275 Glyphosate
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8279 for biotic stress resistance, pathogen resistance, disease resistance
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8285 for nematode resistance
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8286 for insect resistance
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/146 Genetically Modified [GMO] plants, e.g. transgenic plants

Abstract

The present invention is directed to controlling pest infestation by inhibiting one or more biological functions in an invertebrate pest. The invention discloses methods and compositions for use in controlling pest infestation by feeding one or more different recombinant double stranded RNA molecules to the pest in order to achieve a reduction in pest infestation through suppression of gene expression. The invention is also directed to methods for making transgenic plants that express the double stranded RNA molecules, and to particular combinations of transgenic pesticidal agents for use in protecting plants from pest infestation.

Claims

1. A method for controlling invertebrate pest infestation comprising providing in the diet of an invertebrate pest an agent comprising a ribonucleic acid that functions upon ingestion by the pest to inhibit the expression of a target sequence within said pest, wherein said ribonucleic acid consists of a ribonucleotide sequence that is or is complementary to said target sequence, wherein said ribonucleotide sequence is transcribed from a DNA sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:

1 through SEQ ID NO;

143, SEQ ID NO;

169 through SEQ ID NO;

174, and the complement thereof.

2-45. -45. (canceled)

46. A stacked transgenic event for reducing or eliminating plant pest infestation, comprising a dsRNA for suppression of an essential gene in a target pest and a pesticide exhibiting biological activity against said target pest.

47. The stacked transgenic event of claim 46, wherein said event is a plant selected from the group consisting of alfalfa, aneth, apple, apricot, artichoke, arugula, asparagus, avocado, banana, barley, beans, beet, blackberry, blueberry, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, canola, cantaloupe, carrot, cassaya, cauliflower, celery, cherry, cilantro, citrus, clementine, coffee, corn, cotton, cucumber, Douglas fir, eggplant, endive, escarole, eucalyptus, fennel, figs, gourd, grape, grapefruit, honey dew, jicama, kiwifruit, lettuce, leeks, lemon, lime, Loblolly pine, mango, melon, mushroom, nut, oat, okra, onion, orange, an ornamental plant, papaya, parsley, pea, peach, peanut, pear, pepper, persimmon, pine, pineapple, plantain, plum, pomegranate, poplar, potato, pumpkin, quince, radiata pine, radicchio, radish, raspberry, rice, rye, sorghum, Southern pine, soybean, spinach, squash, strawberry, sugarbeet, sugarcane, sunflower, sweet potato, sweetgum, tangerine, tea, tobacco, tomato, turf, a vine, watermelon, wheat, yams, and zucchini plants.

48. The stacked transgenic event of claim 46, wherein said essential gene is a target gene encoding a protein, the predicted function of which is selected from the group of functions consisting of muscle formation, juvenile hormone formation, juvenile hormone regulation, ion regulation and transport, digestive enzyme synthesis, maintenance of cell membrane potential, amino acid biosynthesis, amino acid degradation, sperm formation, pheromone synthesis, pheromone sensing, antennae formation, wing formation, leg formation, development and differentiation, egg formation, larval maturation, digestive enzyme formation, haemolymph synthesis, haemolymph maintenance, neurotransmission, cell division, energy metabolism, respiration, and apoptosis.

49. The stacked transgenic event of claim 46, wherein said pesticide is an agent selected from the group consisting of a patatin, a Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal protein, a Xenorhabdus insecticidal protein, a Photorhabdus insecticidal protein, a Bacillus laterosporous insecticidal protein, and a Bacillus sphearicus insecticidal protein.

50. The stacked transgenic event of claim 49, wherein said Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal protein is selected from the group consisting of a Cry1, a Cry3, a TIC851, a CryET70, a Cry22, a binary insecticidal protein CryET33 and CryET34, a binary insecticidal protein CryET80 and CryET76, a binary insecticidal protein TIC100 and TIC101, and a binary insecticidal protein PS149B1.

51. The stacked transgenic event of claim 46, wherein said target pest is an agricultural pest selected from the group consisting of insects, mites, fungi, yeasts, molds, bacteria, nematodes, weeds, and parasitic and saprophytic plants.

52. The stacked transgenic event of claim 51, wherein said agricultural pest is selected from the group consisting of an insect pest and a nematode pest.

53. The stacked transgenic event of claim 51, wherein said agricultural pest is an insect pest selected from the group consisting of a Lepidopteran pest, a Coleopteran pest, a Hemipteran pest, and a Dipteran pest.

54. The stacked transgenic event of claim 53, wherein said Coleopteran pest is selected from the group consisting of a Diabrotica species, a Colorado Potato Beetle (CPB, Leptinotarsa decemlineata), and a Red Flour Beetle (RFB, Tribolium castaneum);

said Lepidopteran pest is selected from the group consisting of European Corn Borer (ECB, Ostrinia nubilalis), Black Cutworm (BCW, Agrotis ipsilon), Corn Earworm (CEW, Helicoverpa zea), Fall Armyworm (FAW, Spodoptera frugiperda), Cotton Ball Weevil (BWV, Anthonomus grandis), silkworms (Bombyx mori) and Manduca sexta; and

said Hemipteran pest is a lygus bug.

55. The stacked transgenic event of claim 54, wherein said Diabrotica species is selected from the group consisting of Diabrotica virgifera, Diabrotica barberi, and Diabrotica undecimpunctata.

56. The stacked transgenic event of claim 46, wherein said event is provided in the diet of said target pest in a pest inhibitory amount and inhibits the pest from feeding on said diet.

57. The stacked transgenic event of claim 56, wherein said diet is selected from the group consisting of a plant cell, a plurality of plant cells, a plant tissue, a plant root, a plant seed, and a plant grown from a plant seed, wherein said diet comprises a pest inhibitory amount of said dsRNA and said pesticide.

58. The stacked transgenic event of claim 47, wherein said reduced or eliminated pest infestation improves the yield of a crop produced from said event.

60. Seed produced from the stacked transgenic event of claim 58, wherein said seed comprises a detectable amount of a gene encoding said dsRNA.

62. The stacked transgenic event of claim 47, wherein said dsRNA is in the cells of said plant and said pesticide comprises a seed treatment.

63. The stacked transgenic event of claim 62, wherein the cells of said plant comprise said dsRNA and said pesticide.

59. A crop harvested from a field comprising the stacked transgenic event of 47, wherein said crop comprises said dsRNA and said pesticide.

61. A commodity or commodity product produced from the crop of claim 59, wherein said commodity or commodity produce comprises a detectable amount of a gene encoding said dsRNA.