Method for controlling herbicide-resistant plants

• US 9,121,022 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2011
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monsanto Technology LLC (Bayer AG)
• Original Assignee: Monsanto Technology LLC (Bayer AG)
• Inventors: Sammons, Robert D., Ivashuta, Sergey, Liu, Hong, Wang, Dafu, Feng, Paul C. C., Kouranov, Andrei Y., Andersen, Scott E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fox, David T
• Assistant Examiner(s): UYENO, STEPHEN G
• Application Number:
  US13/042,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20110296556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,638 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 2300/00 Combinations or mixtures of active ingredients covered by classes A01N27/00 - A01N65/48 with other active or formulation relevant ingredients, e.g. specific carrier materials or surfactants, covered by classes A01N25/00 - A01N65/48
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 33/12 Quaternary ammonium compounds
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 57/16 containing heterocyclic radicals
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 57/20 containing acyclic or cycloaliphatic radicals
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 57/34 having phosphorus-to-halogen bonds; Phosphonium salts
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 63/60 Isolated nucleic acids
• 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 15/1137 against enzymes viral enzymes C12N15/1131; receptors C12N15/1138
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8206 by physical or chemical, i.e. non-biological, means, e.g. electroporation, PEG mediated
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8207 by mechanical means, e.g. microinjection, particle bombardment, silicon whiskers
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8218 Antisense, co-suppression, viral induced gene silencing [VIGS], post-transcriptional induced gene silencing [PTGS]

Abstract

This invention provides polynucleotide molecules and methods for regulating genes in plants, e.g., by providing RNA for systemic regulation of genes. Various aspects of the invention provide polynucleotide molecules and methods for regulating endogenous genes and transgenes in a plant cell and polynucleotide molecules.

Claims

1. A method for selectively controlling targeted herbicide-resistant weeds or volunteer plants comprising topically applying onto a surface of said weeds or volunteer plants one or more polynucleotides and a transfer agent in a manner that does not integrate said one or more polynucleotides into a chromosome of said weeds or volunteer plants;

wherein said transfer agent is selected from the group consisting of an organosilicone surfactant and a cationic lipid;

wherein said transfer agent enables said one or more polynucleotides to permeate from the surface of said weeds or volunteer plants into cells of said weeds or volunteer plants;

wherein said one or more polynucleotides comprise a sequence essentially identical or essentially complementary to a coding or non-coding sequence of an endogenous gene of said weed or volunteer plant or a messenger RNA that is transcribed from an endogenous gene of said weed or volunteer plant; and

wherein said endogenous gene;

(i) is an essential gene for maintaining the growth or life of said weed or volunteer plant, (ii) encodes a protein that provides herbicide resistance to said weed or volunteer plant, or (iii) transcribes to an RNA regulatory agent.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying one or more of a salt and a non-polynucleotide herbicide.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said weed or volunteer plant is pigweed, waterhemp, other amaranth species, mare'"'"'s tail (horseweed), giant ragweed, common ragweed, johnsongrass, goosegrass, ryegrass, hairy crabgrass, velvetleaf, prickly lettuce, dandelion, alfalfa, corn, soybean, canola, cotton, sugar beet, sugarcane, wheat, rice, or a vegetable.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said endogenous gene encodes a protein that provides herbicide resistance to said weed or volunteer plant and said protein is selected from the group consisting of a 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS), an acetohydroxyacid synthase, an acetolactate synthase (ALS), an acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (ACCase), a dihydropteroate synthase, a phytoene desaturase (PDS), a protoporphyrin IX oxygenase (PPO), a hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD), a para-aminobenzoate synthase, a glutamine synthase (GS), a glufosinate-tolerant glutamine synthase, a 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate (DOXP) synthase, a dihydropteroate (DHP) synthase, a phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), a glutathione S-transferase (GST), a D1 protein of photosystem II, a mono-oxygenase, a cytochrome P450, a cellulose synthase, a beta-tubulin, and a serine hydroxymethyltransferase.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising applying onto said weed or volunteer plant a quantity of a herbicide for which said protein provides resistance.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the targeted herbicide-resistant weeds or volunteer plants are growing in a field of herbicide-resistant crop plants.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the crop plants are corn, soybean, cotton, canola, sugar beet, alfalfa, sugarcane, rice, wheat, fruit or vegetables.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the targeted herbicide-resistant weeds or volunteer plants are resistant to one or more of glyphosate, dicamba and sulfonylurea.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the endogenous gene is a native gene or a recombinant transgene.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the polynucleotides are double-stranded RNA, single-stranded DNA, or double-stranded DNA/RNA hybrid polynucleotides.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the organosilicone surfactant is BREAK-THRU®

S 321, BREAK-THRU®

S 200, BREAK-THRU®

OE 441, BREAK-THRU®

S 278, BREAK-THRU®

S 243, SILWET L-77®

, SILWET®

HS 429, SILWET®

HS 312, or BREAK-THRU®

S 233.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the cationic lipid is TransIT®

.

13. The method of claim 1, comprising applying ammonium sulfate.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more polynucleotides comprise a sequence essentially identical or essentially complementary to at least 18 or more contiguous nucleotides of SEQ ID NOs:

1, 41-52, 232, 233, 285-287, 316, or 317.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein one or more polynucleotides are medium-length polynucleotides having a length of 26-300 nucleotides.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein one or more polynucleotides have a length of 26-60 nucleotides.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more polynucleotides comprise a sequence essentially identical or essentially complementary to nucleotides 14-38, 153-177, 345-369 or 1,105-1,129 of SEQ ID NO:

1.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more polynucleotides comprise a sequence essentially identical or essentially complementary to nucleotides 16-170, 451-722 or 1,109-1328 of SEQ ID NO:

1.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more polynucleotides comprise a sequence essentially identical or essentially complementary to nucleotides 564-588, 566-585, 743-764 or 743-767 of SEQ ID NO:

40.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more polynucleotides comprise a sequence essentially identical or essentially complementary to SEQ ID NOs:

8-11, 63-70, 83-112, 239-275, 279-284 or 318.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more polynucleotides comprise a sequence essentially identical or essentially complementary to at least 18 or more contiguous nucleotides of SEQ ID NO:

71.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more polynucleotides comprise a sequence essentially identical or essentially complementary to SEQ ID NOs:

73 or 74.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more polynucleotides comprise a sequence essentially identical or essentially complementary to SEQ ID NOs:

113 or 114.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more polynucleotides comprise a sequence essentially identical or essentially complementary to at least 18 or more contiguous nucleotides of one or more of SEQ ID NOs:

225-229.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more polynucleotides comprise a sequence essentially identical or essentially complementary to at least 18 or more contiguous nucleotides of SEQ ID NOs:

230 or 231.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more polynucleotides comprise a sequence essentially identical or essentially complementary to at least 18 or more contiguous nucleotides of SEQ ID NO:

235.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more polynucleotides comprise a sequence essentially identical or essentially complementary to at least 18 or more contiguous nucleotides of SEQ ID NO:

236.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more polynucleotides comprise a sequence essentially identical or essentially complementary to at least 18 or more contiguous nucleotides of SEQ ID NO:

238.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more polynucleotides comprise a sequence essentially identical or essentially complementary to at least 18 or more contiguous nucleotides of one or more of SEQ ID NOs:

296-299.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more polynucleotides comprise a sequence essentially identical or essentially complementary to at least 18 or more contiguous nucleotides of SEQ ID NO:

2, 37, 53, 59 or 237.