POLYNUCLEOTIDES AND POLYPEPTIDES FOR INCREASING DESIRABLE PLANT QUALITIES

• US 20120131696A1
• Filed: 08/02/2010
• Published: 05/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Evogene Ltd
• Original Assignee: Evogene Ltd
• Inventors: Vinocur, Basia Judith, Diber, Alex, Karchi, Hagai, Aayal, Sharon, Poraty, Limor
• Granted Patent: US 8,937,215 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 800/281
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8209 Selection, visualisation of transformants, reporter constructs, e.g. antibiotic resistance markers
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/821 Non-antibiotic resistance markers, e.g. morphogenetic, metabolic markers
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8222 Developmentally regulated expression systems, tissue, organ specific, temporal or spatial regulation
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8247 involving modified lipid metabolism, e.g. seed oil composition
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8255 involving lignin biosynthesis
• 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 15/8271 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

Provided are isolated polynucleotides which are at least 80% homologous to SEQ ID NO: 75, 1-74, 76-473, 783-1272, 1277-4139, 4142, 4146-5508, or 5509; and isolated polypeptides which are at least 80% homologous to 548, 474-547, 549-562, 564-620, 622-750, 752-782, 5510-5939, 5946-6856, 6858-7540, 7543, 7544, 7548-8735, or 8736, nucleic acid constructs comprising the isolated polynucleotides, transgenic plants expressing same and methods of using same for increasing abiotic stress tolerance, yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, and/or nitrogen use efficiency of a plant.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. (canceled)

3. A method of increasing abiotic stress tolerance, yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, and/or nitrogen use efficiency of a plant, comprising expressing within the plant an exogenous polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NO:

548, 474-547, 549-562, 564-620, 622-750, 752-782, 5510-5939, 5946-6856, 6858-7540, 7543, 7544, 7548-8735 or 8736, thereby increasing the abiotic stress tolerance, yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, and/or nitrogen use efficiency of the plant.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:

548, 474-547, 549-782, 5510-5940, 5942, 5943, 5945-6856, 6858-7544, and 7548-8736, thereby increasing the abiotic stress tolerance, yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, and/or nitrogen use efficiency of the plant.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said nucleic acid sequence is at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NO:

75, 1-74, 76-473, 783-1272, 1277-4139, 4142, 4146-5508 or 5509, wherein said nucleic acid sequence is capable of increasing abiotic stress tolerance, yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, and/or nitrogen use efficiency of a plant.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein said nucleic acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:

75, 1-74, 76-473, 783-1272, 1274, 1275, 1277-4142, and 4146-5509.

19. The method of claim 3, further comprising growing the plant expressing said exogenous polynucleotide under the abiotic stress.

20. The method of claim 3, wherein said abiotic stress is selected from the group consisting of salinity, drought, water deprivation, flood, etiolation, low temperature, high temperature, heavy metal toxicity, anaerobiosis, nutrient deficiency, nutrient excess, atmospheric pollution and UV irradiation.

21. The method of claim 3, wherein the yield comprises seed yield or oil yield.

7. An isolated polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide which comprises an amino acid sequence at least 80% homologous to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:

548, 474-547, 549-562, 564-620, 622-750, 752-782, 5510-5939, 5946-6856, 6858-7540, 7543, 7544, 7548-8735 or 8736, wherein said amino acid sequence is capable of increasing abiotic stress tolerance, yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, and/or nitrogen use efficiency of the plant.

8. The isolated polynucleotide of claim 7, wherein said amino acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:

548, 474-547, 549-782, 5510-5940, 5942, 5943, 5945-6856, 6858-7544, and 7548-8736.

9. A nucleic acid construct comprising the isolated polynucleotide of claim 7, and a promoter for directing transcription of said nucleic acid sequence in a host cell.

12. A plant cell exogenously expressing the polynucleotide of claim 7.

14. The isolated polynucleotide of claim 7, wherein said nucleic acid sequence is as set forth in SEQ ID NO:

75, 1-74, 76-473, 783-1272, 1274, 1275, 1277-4142, 4146-5508 or 5509.

15. The isolated polynucleotide of claim 7, wherein said polynucleotide comprises a nucleic acid sequence at least 80% identical to the polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:

75, 1-74, 76-473, 783-1272, 1274, 1275, 1277-4142, and 4146-5509.

16. The nucleic acid construct of claim 9, wherein said nucleic acid sequence encodes an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:

548, 474-547, 549-562, 564-620, 622-750, 752-782, 5510-5939, 5946-6856, 6858-7540, 7543, 7544, 7548-8735 and 8736.

17. The plant cell of claim 12, wherein said nucleic acid sequence encodes the amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:

548, 474-547, 549-782, 5510-5940, 5942, 5943, 5945-6856, 6858-7544, and 7548-8736.

18. The plant cell of claim 12, wherein said plant cell forms part of a plant.

22. The nucleic acid construct of claim 9, wherein said promoter is heterologous to said isolated polynucleotide and/or to said host cell.

10. An isolated polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence at least 80% homologous to SEQ ID NO:

548, 474-547, 549-562, 564-620, 622-750, 752-782, 5510-5939, 5946-6856, 6858-7540, 7543, 7544, 7548-8735 or 8736, wherein said amino acid sequence is capable of increasing abiotic stress tolerance, yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, and/or nitrogen use efficiency of a plant.

11. The isolated polypeptide of claim 10, wherein said amino acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:

548, 474-547, 549-782, 5510-5940, 5942, 5943, 5945-6856, 6858-7544, and 7548-8736.

13. A plant cell exogenously expressing the polypeptide of claim 10.