Fungal resistant plants expressing EIN2

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10925223-B2
Application number	US-201916279477-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 19, 2019
Priority date	Jan 29, 2013
Publication date	Feb 23, 2021
Grant date	Feb 23, 2021

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of increasing resistance against fungal pathogens of the family Phacosporaceae in plants and/or plant cells. This is achieved by increasing the expression of an EIN2 protein or fragment thereof in a plant, plant part and/or plant cell in comparison to wild type plants, wild type plant parts and/or wild type plant cells. Furthermore, the invention relates to transgenic plants, plant parts, and/or plant cells having an increased resistance against fungal pathogens, in particular, pathogens of the family Phacopsoraceae, and to recombinant expression vectors comprising a sequence that is identical or homologous to a sequence encoding an EIN2 protein.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for increasing resistance against Phakopsora in a soybean plant, a soybean plant part, or a soybean plant cell, said method comprising increasing the expression and/or activity of an Ethylene-Insensitive 2 (EIN21 protein in the soybean plant, soybean plant part, or soybean plant cell in comparison to a wild type soybean plant, wild type soybean plant part or wild type soybean plant cell, wherein the EIN2 protein is encoded by an exogenous nucleic acid encoding a protein having an amino acid sequence with at least 85% identity to SEQ ID NO: 5, wherein the EIN2 protein confers increased resistance against a pathogen of the genus Phakopsora to the soybean plant, soybean plant part, or soybean plant cell in comparison to a wild type soybean plant, wilt type soybean plant part or wild type soybean plant cell.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising
(a) stably transforming a soybean plant cell with an expression cassette comprising
an exogenous nucleic acid encoding an EIN2 protein having an amino acid sequence with at least 85% identity with SEQ ID NO: 5,

in functional linkage with a promoter; and
(b) regenerating the plant from the plant cell.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the promoter is a constitutive promoter, pathogen-inducible promoter, a mesophyll-specific promoter or an epidermis specific-promoter.

4. A transgenic soybean plant, transgenic soybean plant part, or transgenic soybean plant cell comprising an exogenous nucleic acid encoding an EIN2 protein comprising an amino acid sequence with at least 85% identity with SEQ ID NO: 5 operably linked to a rust-inducible promoter, wherein expression of said exogenous nucleic acid in the transgenic soybean plant, transgenic soybean plant part, or transgenic soybean plant cell confers increased resistance against a pathogen of the genus Phakopsora thereto in comparison to a wild type soybean plant, wild type soybean plant part, or wild type soybean plant cell.

5. A method for the production of a transgenic soybean plant, transgenic soybean plant part, or transgenic soybean plant cell having increased resistance against Phakopsora , comprising:
(a) introducing a recombinant vector construct into a soybean plant, a soybean plant part, or a soybean plant cell, the recombinant vector construct comprising (a) a nucleic acid encoding a protein having an amino acid sequence with at least 85% identity to SEQ ID NO: 5 operably linked with (b) a rust-inducible promoter and (c) a transcription termination sequence; and
(b) generating a transgenic soybean plant, transgenic soybean plant part, or transgenic soybean plant cell from the plant, plant part or plant cell.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising the step of harvesting the seeds of the transgenic soybean plant and planting the seeds and growing the seeds to plants, wherein the grown plants comprise
the exogenous nucleic acid encoding a protein having an amino acid sequence with at least 85% identity with SEQ ID NO: 5.

7. A harvestable part of the transgenic soybean plant of claim 4 , wherein the part comprises the exogenous nucleic acid encoding a protein having an amino acid sequence with at least 85% identity with SEQ ID NO: 5.

8. A product derived from the soybean plant of claim 4 , wherein the product comprises the exogenous nucleic acid encoding a protein having an amino acid sequence with at least 85% identity with SEQ ID NO: 5.

9. A method for the production of a product comprising
(a) growing the transgenic soybean plant of claim 4 ; and
(b) producing said product from or by the plant or a part of the plant.

10. The method of claim 9 comprising
(a) growing the plant and removing the harvestable parts from the plant; and
(b) producing said product from or by the harvestable parts of the plant.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the product is meal or oil.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the resistance against Phakopsora is resistance against Phakopsora meibomiae, Phakopsora pachyrhizi , or a combination thereof.

13. A method for breeding a Phakopsora resistant soybean plant comprising
(a) crossing the transgenic soybean plant of claim 4 with a second soybean plant;
(b) obtaining seed from the cross of step (a);
(c) planting said seeds and growing the seeds to plants; and
(d) selecting from the plants produced in step (c) plants expressing the EIN2 protein.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nucleic acid encoding the EIN2 protein encoded by the exogenous nucleic acid has an amino acid sequence with at least 90% identity to SEQ ID NO: 5.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nucleic acid encoding the EIN2 protein encoded by the exogenous nucleic acid has an amino acid sequence with at least 95% identity to SEQ ID NO: 5.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nucleic acid encoding the EIN2 protein encoded by the exogenous nucleic acid has an amino acid sequence with at least 98% identity to SEQ ID NO: 5.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nucleic acid encoding the EIN2 protein encoded by the exogenous nucleic acid has an amino acid sequence with 100% identity to SEQ ID NO: 5.

18. The transgenic plant, transgenic plant part, or transgenic plant cell of claim 4 , wherein the nucleic acid encoding the EIN2 protein encoded by the exogenous nucleic acid has an amino acid sequence with at least 90% identity to SEQ ID NO: 5.

19. The transgenic plant, transgenic plant part, or transgenic plant cell of claim 4 , wherein the nucleic acid encoding the EIN2 protein encoded by the exogenous nucleic acid has an amino acid sequence with at least 95% identity to SEQ ID NO: 5.

20. A method for preventing, reducing, or delaying Phakopsora infection in a transgenic soybean plant, a transgenic soybean plant part, or a transgenic soybean plant cell, the method comprising:
providing a transgenic soybean plant, a transgenic soybean plant part, or a transgenic soybean plant cell with an exogenous nucleic acid encoding an EIN2 protein comprising an amino acid sequence with at least 85% identity to SEQ ID NO: 5, wherein the EIN2 protein confers increased resistance against Phakopsora thereto in comparison to a wild type soybean plant, wild type soybean plant part, or wild type soybean plant cell, and
growing the transgenic soybean plant, transgenic soybean plant part, or transgenic soybean plant cell in the presence of a fungal pathogen of the genus Phakopsora , wherein Phakopsora infection is prevented, reduced, or delayed in the transgenic soybean plant, transgenic soybean plant part, or transgenic soybean plant cell as compared to a wild type soybean plant, wild type soybean plant part, or wild type soybean plant cell.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the EIN2 protein encoded by the exogenous nucleic acid has an amino acid sequence with at least 90% identity to SEQ ID NO: 5.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the EIN2 protein encoded by the exogenous nucleic acid has an amino acid sequence with at least 95% identity to SEQ ID NO: 5.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the EIN2 protein encoded by the exogenous nucleic acid has an amino acid sequence with at least 98% identity to SEQ ID NO: 5.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the EIN2 protein encoded by the exogenous nucleic acid has an amino acid sequence with 100% identity to SEQ ID NO: 5.

Assignees

• Basf Plant Science Co Gmbh

Inventors

• Schultheiss Holger
• Flachmann Ralf
• Mentzel Tobias

Classifications

• C12N15/8271 Primary

  for stress resistance, e.g. heavy metal resistance · CPC title

• C07K14/415 Primary

  from plants · CPC title

• C12N15/8282

  for fungal resistance · CPC title

• C12N15/8291

  Hormone-influenced development · CPC title

• A01H5/10 Primary

  Seeds · CPC title