Method of increasing resistance to a fungal pathogen by applying a hydrophobin to a plant

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11447794-B2
Application number	US-201916427689-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2019
Priority date	Apr 5, 2012
Publication date	Sep 20, 2022
Grant date	Sep 20, 2022

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of increasing resistance against fungal pathogens of the family Phacosporaceae plants and/or plant cells. This is achieved for instance by increasing the expression of a hydrophobin 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. In the transgenic plants hydrophobin can be expressed as a fusion protein to facilitate and/or enhance expression. Furthermore, the hydrophobin protein can be expressed including a secretion signal sequence which mediates secretion of the protein into the apoplast and/or into the cuticule.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for preventing, reducing, or delaying Phakopsora infection in a plant, plant part, or plant cell, the method comprising:
applying a hydrophobin protein or a hydrophobin fusion protein to a surface of a soybean plant, soybean plant part or soybean plant cell, wherein the hydrophobin protein or the hydrophobin fusion protein comprises an amino acid sequence with at least 80% identity with SEQ ID NO: 10, 43, or 44; and
growing the soybean plant, soybean plant part, or soybean plant cell in the presence of a fungal pathogen of the genus Phakopsora , wherein Phakopsora infection is prevented, reduced, or delayed in the soybean plant, soybean plant part, or soybean plant cell as compared to a plant, plant part, or plant cell to which surface the hydrophobin protein or the hydrophobin fusion protein has not been applied.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobin protein or the hydrophobin fusion protein comprises an amino acid sequence with at least 85% identity with SEQ ID NO: 10, 43, or 44.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobin protein or the hydrophobin fusion protein comprises an amino acid sequence with at least 90% identity with SEQ ID NO: 10, 43, or 44.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobin protein or the hydrophobin fusion protein comprises an amino acid sequence with at least 95% identity with SEQ ID NO: 10, 43, or 44.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobin protein or the hydrophobin fusion protein comprises an amino acid sequence with at least 98% identity with SEQ ID NO: 10, 43, or 44.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobin protein or the hydrophobin fusion protein comprises an amino acid sequence with 100% identity with SEQ ID NO: 10, 43, or 44.

Assignees

• Basf Plant Science Co Gmbh

Inventors

• Schultheiss Holger
• Flachmann Ralf
• Subkowski Thomas
• Bollschweiler Claus

Classifications

• C07K14/37

  from fungi · CPC title

• C07K14/38

  from Aspergillus · CPC title

• C07K2319/02

  containing a signal sequence · CPC title

• C12N15/8282 Primary

  for fungal resistance · CPC title

• C12N15/625

  containing a sequence coding for a signal sequence · CPC title