PHI-4 polypeptides and methods for their use

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10337026-B2
Application number	US-201815919927-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2018
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Jul 2, 2019
Grant date	Jul 2, 2019

Abstract

Compositions and methods for controlling pests are provided. The methods involve transforming organisms with a nucleic acid sequence encoding an insecticidal protein. In particular, the nucleic acid sequences are useful for preparing plants and microorganisms that possess insecticidal activity. Thus, transformed bacteria, plants, plant cells, plant tissues and seeds are provided. Compositions are insecticidal nucleic acids and proteins of bacterial species. The sequences find use in the construction of expression vectors for subsequent transformation into organisms of interest, as probes for the isolation of other homologous (or partially homologous) genes. The insecticidal proteins find use in controlling, inhibiting growth or killing lepidopteran, coleopteran, dipteran, fungal, hemipteran, and nematode pest populations and for producing compositions with insecticidal activity.

First claim

That which is claimed:

1. A variant polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 35 having an amino acid substitution at position 281 of SEQ ID NO: 35 selected from Glu or Lys, wherein the variant polypeptide has at least 1.3 fold increased insecticidal activity against Western Corn Root Worm (WCRW) larvae compared to the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO: 35.

2. The variant polypeptide of claim 1 , wherein the insecticidal activity is increased about 2 fold or greater compared to the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO: 35.

3. The variant polypeptide of claim 1 , wherein the insecticidal activity is increased about 5 fold or greater compared to the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO: 35.

4. The variant polypeptide of claim 1 , wherein the improved insecticidal activity compared to the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO: 35 is quantitated as a Mean FAE Index.

5. The variant polypeptide of claim 1 , wherein the improved insecticidal activity compared to the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO: 35 is quantitated as an EC50 value.

6. The variant polypeptide of claim 1 , wherein the improved activity compared to the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO: 35 is quantitated as a Mean Deviation Score.

7. A polynucleotide encoding the variant polypeptide of claim 1 .

8. A composition, comprising an insecticidally-effective amount of the variant polypeptide of claim 1 .

9. A method of inhibiting growth or killing an insect pest, comprising contacting the insect pest with the composition of claim 8 .

10. A method for controlling an insect pest population resistant to a pesticidal protein, comprising contacting the resistant insect pest population with the composition of claim 8 .

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the pesticidal protein is selected from Cry1Ac, Cry1Ab, Cry1A.105, Cry1Ac, Cry1F, Cry1Fa2, Cry1F, Cry2Ab, Cry3A, mCry3A, Cry3Bb1, Cry34Ab1, Cry35Ab1, Vip3A, Cry9c, eCry3.1Ab and CBI-Bt.

12. A transgenic plant or progeny thereof, comprising the polynucleotide of claim 7 .

13. The transgenic plant or progeny thereof of claim 12 , wherein the transgenic plant is a monocotyledon.

14. The transgenic plant or progeny thereof of claim 13 , further comprising one or more additional transgenic traits.

15. Seed, grain or processed product thereof of the transgenic plant of claim 12 , wherein the seed, grain, or processed product thereof comprises a polynucleotide encoding a variant polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 35 having an amino acid substitution at position 281 of SEQ ID NO: 35 selected from Glu or Lys, wherein the variant polypeptide has at least 1.3 fold increased insecticidal activity against Western Corn Root Worm (WCRW) larvae compared to the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO: 35.

16. An expression cassette, comprising the polynucleotide of claim 7 operably linked to one or more regulatory sequences directing expression of the variant polypeptide.

17. A transgenic plant or plant cell, comprising the expression cassette of claim 16 .

18. A method for protecting a plant from an insect pest, comprising expressing in the plant or cell thereof, an insecticidally-effective amount of the variant polypeptide of claim 1 .

19. A method for controlling an insect pest population, comprising contacting the insect pest population with an insecticidally-effective amount of the variant polypeptide of claim 1 .

20. A method of inhibiting growth or killing an insect pest, comprising contacting the insect pest with a composition comprising an insecticidally-effective amount of the variant polypeptide of claim 1 .

21. A method for controlling an insect pest population resistant to a pesticidal protein, comprising contacting the insect pest population with an insecticidally-effective amount of the variant polypeptide of claim 1 .

22. A fusion protein comprising the variant polypeptide of claim 1 .

Assignees

• Pioneer Hi Bred Int

Inventors

• Cong Ruth
• Hou Jingtong
• Hou Zhenglin
• Patten Phillip A
• Yamamoto Takashi

Classifications

• C07K14/245

  Escherichia (G) · CPC title

• C07K14/24

  from Enterobacteriaceae (F), e.g. Citrobacter, Serratia, Proteus, Providencia, Morganella, Yersinia · CPC title

• C07K14/195

  from bacteria · CPC title

• C07K14/21

  from Pseudomonadaceae (F) · CPC title

• A01N37/46

  N-acyl derivatives · CPC title