YIELD AND STRESS TOLERANCE IN TRANSGENIC PLANTS II

• US 20100192249A1
• Filed: 03/31/2010
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monsanto Company (Bayer AG), Mendel Biotechnology, Inc. (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Mendel Biotechnology, Inc. (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: CREELMAN, Robert A., Reuber, T. Lynne, Gutterson, Neal I., Cerny, R. Eric, Ruff, Thomas, Meister, Robert J., Ratcliffe, Oliver J., Kjemtrup-Lovelace, Susanne, Duff, Kimberly Faye Zobrist, Petracek, Marie E., Xu, Qingzhang
• Granted Patent: US 8,071,846 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 800/270
• CPC Class Codes: C07K 14/415 from plants
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/00 Mutation or genetic engineering; DNA or RNA concerning genetic engineering, vectors, e.g. plasmids, or their isolation, preparation or purification; Use of hosts therefor mutants or genetically engineered microorganisms, per se C12N1/00, C12N5/00, C12N7/00; new plants per se A01H; plant reproduction by tissue culture techniques A01H4/00; new animals per se A01K67/00; use of medicinal preparations containing genetic material which is inserted into cells of the living body to treat genetic diseases, gene therapy A61K48/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8261 with agronomic (input) traits, e.g. crop yield
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8262 involving plant development
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/827 Flower development or morphology, e.g. flowering promoting factor [FPF]
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8271 for stress resistance, e.g. heavy metal resistance
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8273 for drought, cold, salt resistance
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/146 Genetically Modified [GMO] plants, e.g. transgenic plants

Abstract

Polynucleotides and polypeptides incorporated into expression vectors have been introduced into plants and were ectopically expressed. The polypeptides of the invention have been shown to confer at least one regulatory activity and confer increased yield, greater height, greater early season growth, greater canopy coverage, greater stem diameter, greater late season vigor, increased secondary rooting, more rapid germination, greater cold tolerance, greater tolerance to water deprivation, reduced stomatal conductance, altered C/N sensing, increased low nitrogen tolerance, increased low phosphorus tolerance, or increased tolerance to hyperosmotic stress as compared to the control plant as compared to a control plant.

Claims

1. A transgenic dicot plant having reduced sensitivity to light as compared to a control plant, wherein the transgenic dicot plant comprises a recombinant polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide that comprises, in order from n-terminus to c-terminus:

(a) a conserved domain with at least 58% amino acid identity with amino acids 5-50 of SEQ ID NO;

2; and

(b) SEQ ID NO;

58;

wherein the control plant does not comprise the recombinant polynucleotide; and

wherein expression of the polypeptide in the transgenic dicot plant confers to the transgenic dicot plant the reduced sensitivity to light and wherein the reduced sensitivity to light is characterized by longer hypocotyls, longer petioles, more upright leaves, and/or greater internode length, than the control plant.

2. The transgenic dicot plant of claim 1, wherein the conserved domain has at least 60% identity with amino acids 5-50 of SEQ ID NO:

2.

3. The transgenic dicot plant of claim 1, wherein the conserved domain has at least 85% identity with amino acids 5-50 of SEQ ID NO:

2.

4. The transgenic dicot plant of claim 1, wherein the conserved domain has at least 95% identity with amino acids 5-50 of SEQ ID NO:

2.

5. The transgenic dicot plant of claim 1, wherein the transgenic dicot plant is a legume.

6. The transgenic dicot plant of claim 1, wherein expression of the polypeptide is regulated by a constitutive, inducible, or tissue-specific promoter.

7. A transgenic seed produced from the transgenic dicot plant of claim 1, wherein the transgenic seed comprises the recombinant polynucleotide.

8. A transgenic dicot plant having greater tolerance to low nitrogen during germination relative to a control plant, wherein the transgenic plant comprises a recombinant polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide that comprises, in order from n-terminus to c-terminus:

(a) a conserved domain with at least 58% amino acid identity with amino acids 5-50 of SEQ ID NO;

2; and

(b) SEQ ID NO;

58;

wherein the control plant does not comprise the recombinant polynucleotide; and

wherein expression of the polypeptide in the transgenic plant results in the transgenic plant having the greater tolerance to low nitrogen during germination relative to the control plant.

9. The transgenic plant of claim 8, wherein the conserved domain has at least 60% amino acid identity with amino acids 5-50 of SEQ ID NO:

2.

10. The transgenic dicot plant of claim 8, wherein the conserved domain has at least 85% amino acid identity with amino acids 5-50 of SEQ ID NO:

2.

11. The transgenic dicot plant of claim 8, wherein the conserved domain has at least 95% amino acid identity with amino acids 5-50 of SEQ ID NO:

2.

12. The transgenic dicot plant of claim 8, wherein the transgenic plant produces greater yield as compared to the control plant.

13. The transgenic dicot plant of claim 8, wherein the transgenic plant is more tolerant to a nitrogen limitation of 20 mg/L of NH₄NO₃ as the nitrogen source than the control plant.

14. A transgenic dicot plant producing greater yield than a control plant, wherein the transgenic dicot plant comprises a recombinant polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide that comprises, in order from n-terminus to c-terminus:

(a) a conserved domain with at least 58% amino acid identity with amino acids 5-50 of SEQ ID NO;

2; and

(b) SEQ ID NO;

58;

wherein the control plant does not comprise the recombinant polynucleotide; and

wherein expression of the polypeptide in the transgenic dicot plant results in the transgenic dicot plant producing the greater yield than the control plant.

15. The transgenic dicot plant of claim 14, wherein the conserved domain has at least 60% identity with amino acids 5-50 of SEQ ID NO:

2.

16. The transgenic dicot plant of claim 14, wherein the conserved domain has at least 85% identity with amino acids 5-50 of SEQ ID NO:

2.

17. The transgenic dicot plant of claim 14, wherein the conserved domain has at least 95% identity with amino acids 5-50 of SEQ ID NO:

2.

18. The transgenic dicot plant of claim 14, wherein the transgenic plant is a legume.

19. A transgenic seed produced from the transgenic dicot plant of claim 14, wherein the transgenic seed comprises the recombinant polynucleotide.

20. A method for altering the light response of a dicot plant as compared to the light response of a control plant, the method comprising:

(a) providing a recombinant polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide, wherein the polypeptide comprises, in order from n-terminus to c-terminus;

(i) a conserved domain with at least 58% amino acid identity with amino acids 5-50 of SEQ ID NO;

2; and

(ii) SEQ ID NO;

58; and

(b) introducing the recombinant polynucleotide into a target dicot plant to produce a transformed dicot plant;

wherein overexpression of the polypeptide in the transformed dicot plant confers the altered light response in the transformed dicot plant; and

wherein the altered light response is characterized by longer hypocotyls, longer petioles, more upright leaves, and/or greater internode length, than the control plant.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the conserved domain has at least 60% identity with amino acids 5-50 of SEQ ID NO:

2.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the conserved domain has at least 85% identity with amino acids 5-50 of SEQ ID NO:

2.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the conserved domain has at least 95% identity with amino acids 5-50 of SEQ ID NO:

2.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises the step of:

(c) selecting a transgenic dicot plant by its ectopic expression of the polypeptide or its altered light response, as compared to the control plant, said altered light response characterized by greater yield, longer petioles, longer hypocotyls, greater internode length, and/or more upright leaves.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the method steps further comprise:

(c) selfing or crossing the transformed dicot plant with itself or another plant, respectively, to produce a transgenic seed.