Methods for genetic control of insect infestations in plants and compositions thereof

• US 7,943,819 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2006
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monsanto Technology LLC (Bayer AG)
• Original Assignee: Monsanto Technology LLC (Bayer AG)
• Inventors: Nooren, Irene, Feldmann, Pascale, Plaetinck, Geert, Vaughn, Ty T., Baum, James A., Cajacob, Claire A., Heck, Gregory R., Maddelein, Wendy
• Primary Examiner(s): Zheng; Li
• Application Number:
  US11/522,307
• Publication Number:
  US 20070124836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,705 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 800/285
• CPC Class Codes: C07H 21/04 with deoxyribosyl as saccharide radical
• CPC Class Codes: C07K 14/43536 from worms
• CPC Class Codes: C07K 14/43563 from insects
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/113 Non-coding nucleic acids modulating the expression of genes, e.g. antisense oligonucleotides; Antisense DNA or RNA; Triplex- forming oligonucleotides; Catalytic nucleic acids, e.g. ribozymes; Nucleic acids used in co-suppression or gene silencing when used in plants C12N15/8218
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8218 Antisense, co-suppression, viral induced gene silencing [VIGS], post-transcriptional induced gene silencing [PTGS]
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8282 for fungal 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 relates to control of pest infestation by inhibiting one or more biological functions. The invention provides methods and compositions for such control. By feeding one or more recombinant double stranded RNA molecules provided by the invention to the pest, a reduction in pest infestation is obtained 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 coleopteran pest infestation comprising:

providing in a diet of a coleopteran pest an agent comprising a first polynucleotide sequence and a second polynucleotide sequence wherein said first polynucleotide sequence exhibits from about 95 to about 100% nucleotide sequence identity along at least from about 19 to about 25 contiguous nucleotides to a coding sequence according to SEQ ID NO;

818 and is hybridized to said second polynucleotide sequence that is complementary to said first polynucleotide sequence, and;

wherein said agent functions upon ingestion by the pest to inhibit a biological function within said pest thereby controlling pest infestation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second polynucleotide sequences are expressed in a plant cell to produce a double stranded ribonucleic acid that functions upon ingestion by the pest to inhibit the expression of a target sequence within said pest.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the pest exhibits reduced growth following said ingestion.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the plant cell further comprises a polynucleotide sequence encoding a pesticidal agent selected from the group consisting of a patatin, a Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal protein, a Xenorhabdus insecticidal protein, a Photorhabdus insecticidal protein, a Bacillus laterosporus insecticidal protein, and a Bacillus sphaericus insecticidal protein.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal protein is selected from the group consisting of a Cry1, a Cry3, a TIC851, a CryET70, a Cry22, a TIC901, a TIC201, a TIC407, a TIC417, a binary insecticidal protein CryET33 and CryET34, a binary insecticidal protein CryET80 and CryET76, a binary insecticidal protein TIC100 and TIC101, a combination of an insecticidal protein ET29 or ET37 with an insecticidal protein TIC810 or TIC812, and a binary insecticidal protein PS149B1.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said coleopteran pest is a Diabrotica spp. selected from the group consisting of Diabrotica virgifera, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, Diabrotica virgifera zea, Diabrotica balteata, Diabrotica barberi, Diabrotica viridula, Diabrotica speciosa, and Diabrotica undecimpunctata.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the pest exhibits reduced feeding following said ingestion.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the plant cell is a corn plant cell.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the first and second polynucleotide sequences are expressed from a construct integrated in the genome of the plant cell.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the first and second polynucleotide sequences are expressed as a single polynucleotide molecule.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first and second polynucleotide sequences are expressed as a single polynucleotide molecule that forms a stem-loop structure upon expression.