Stress-protected transgenic plants

• US 7,084,323 B1
• Filed: 12/12/1997
• Issued: 08/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The General Hospital Corporation (Mass General Brigham, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The General Hospital Corporation (Mass General Brigham, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sheen, Jen
• Primary Examiner(s): COLLINS, CYNTHIA E
• Application Number:
  US08/989,881
• Time in Patent Office: 3,154 Days
• Field of Search: 435/69.1, 435/468, 435/410, 435/419, 435/320.1, 435/430, 435/252.3, 536/23.1, 536/23.6, 800/278, 800/283, 800/290, 800/295, 800/298, 800/289
• US Class Current: 800/289
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8273 for drought, cold, salt resistance
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/1205 Phosphotransferases with an alcohol group as acceptor (2.7.1), e.g. protein kinases

Abstract

Disclosed are methods for increasing a plant'"'"'s tolerance to environmental stress.

Claims

1. A method for protecting a plant against dehydration, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a transgenic plant cell that expresses substantially pure DNA encoding a calcium-dependent protein kinase (CDPK) polypeptide that includes a protein kinase (PK) domain having a sequence that is at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NO;

2; and

(b) growing a transgenic plant from said plant cell, wherein said DNA is expressed in said transgenic plant, and wherein said transgenic plant has increased tolerance to dehydration compared to a corresponding untransformed plant.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the expression of said polypeptide activates the expression of a stress-protective protein-encoding gene.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said DNA is constitutively expressed in said transgenic plant.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein said calcium-dependent protein kinase (CDPK) polypeptide is ATCDPK1 or ATCDPK1a.

4. A plant comprising substantially pure DNA encoding a polypeptide that includes a PK domain having an amino acid sequence that is at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NO:

2, wherein said polypeptide increases drought tolerance in a plant expressing said polypeptide.

19. The plant of claim 4, wherein said calcium-dependent protein kinase (CDPK) polypeptide is ATCDPK1 or ATCDPK1a.

5. A seed comprising substantially pure DNA encoding a polypeptide that includes a PK domain having an amino acid sequence that is at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NO:

2, wherein said polypeptide increases drought tolerance in a plant expressing said polypeptide.

6. A cell comprising substantially pure DNA encoding a polypeptide that includes a PK domain having an amino acid sequence that is at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NO:

2, wherein said polypeptide increases drought tolerance in a plant expressing said polypeptide.

7. Substantially pure DNA consisting of a sequence that encodes a PK domain having an amino acid sequence that is at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NO:

2.

8. The DNA of claim 7, wherein said DNA encodes a polypeptide that confers tolerance to dehydration.

9. The DNA of claim 7, wherein said DNA encodes a polypeptide that confers tolerance to salinity.

10. The DNA of claim 7, wherein said DNA encodes a polypeptide that confers tolerance to a temperature stress.

11. The DNA of claim 7, wherein said DNA comprises a nucleic acid sequence substantially identical to the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:

1.

12. The DNA of claim 7, wherein said DNA is operably linked to an expression control region.

13. The DNA of claim 12, wherein said expression control region comprises a promoter.

14. The DNA of claim 13, wherein said promoter is a constitutive promoter.

15. The DNA of claim 14, wherein said promoter is an inducible promoter.

16. A cell which includes the DNA of claim 7.

17. The cell of claim 16, wherein said cell is a plant cell.