Methods for genetic control of plant pest infestation and compositions thereof

• US 8,067,671 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2008
• Issued: 11/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monsanto Technology LLC (Bayer AG)
• Original Assignee: Monsanto Technology LLC (Bayer AG)
• Inventors: Boukharov, Andrey A., McCarter, James P., Vaudin, Mark, Williams, Deryck Jeremy, Du, Zijin, Lu, Maolong, Miller, Nancy M., Guo, Liang, Kovalic, David K., Wu, Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Zheng; Li
• Application Number:
  US12/101,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20090188005A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 800/285
• CPC Class Codes: C07K 14/4354 from nematodes
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8241 Phenotypically and genetically modified plants via recombinant DNA technology
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8245 involving modified carbohydrate or sugar alcohol metabolism, e.g. starch biosynthesis
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8247 involving modified lipid metabolism, e.g. seed oil composition
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8274 for herbicide resistance
• 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: Y02A 40/146 Genetically Modified [GMO] plants, e.g. transgenic plants

Abstract

The present invention is directed to controlling plant pest infestation, and particularly plant nematode infestation, by inhibiting one or more biological functions in the plant pest. The invention discloses methods and compositions for use in controlling plant pest infestation by providing one or more different recombinant double stranded RNA molecules in the diet of the pest in order to achieve a reduction in pest infestation through suppression of pest gene expression. The invention is also directed to methods for making transgenic plants that express the double stranded RNA molecules, to methods for detecting cells comprising the disclosed sequences, and to methods for detecting the disclosed sequences in biological samples.

Claims

1. A method for suppressing a peptide coding sequence in a Heterodera glycines pest, comprising selecting a target polynucleotide sequence of a Heterodera glycines pest genome comprising at least from about 24 contiguous nucleotides, expressing the target polynucleotide sequence as an RNA sequence that forms a double stranded RNA structure in a plant cell, and providing said plant cell in the diet of said Heterodera glycines pest, wherein uptake of the contents of said cell by said pest results in the morbidity and/or mortality of said pest, and wherein said target polynucleotide sequence is SEQ ID NO:

22219.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said RNA sequence comprises contiguous nucleotides from at least two or more target polynucleotide sequences from two or more different coding sequences of a Heterodera glycines pest.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each of said two or more different coding sequences are isolated from different Heterodera glycines cDNA sequences.

7. A transgenic soybean plant comprising the double stranded structure of claim 1.

8. A seed produced from the plant of claim 7, wherein said seed comprises said structure.

9. A plant grown from the seed of claim 8.

4. A method for controlling Heterodera glycines infection in a soybean plant comprising:

a) transforming a soybean plant cell with a DNA construct that expresses a dsRNA molecule in said soybean cell; and

b) regenerating said transformed soybean plant cell into a fertile transgenic soybean plant that exhibits resistance to infection by Heterodera glycines;

wherein said DNA construct comprises a polynucleotide sequence comprising at least about 24 contiguous nucleotides of SEQ ID NO;

22219, or the complement thereof.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said DNA construct comprises at least one selectable marker providing herbicide tolerance to the transgenic soybean plant.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said transgenic soybean plant exhibits tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate.