Wheat MS1 polynucleotides, polypeptides, and methods of use

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12163145-B2
Application number	US-202117244603-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 29, 2021
Priority date	Sep 26, 2014
Publication date	Dec 10, 2024
Grant date	Dec 10, 2024

Abstract

Compositions and methods are capable of modulating male fertility in a plant. Compositions comprise polynucleotides and polypeptides, and fragments and variants thereof, which modulate male fertility. Expression cassettes comprise a male-fertility polynucleotide, or fragment or variant thereof, operably linked to a promoter, wherein expression of the polynucleotide modulates the male fertility of a plant. The level and/or activity of a polynucleotide that influences male fertility is modulated in a plant or plant part. Regulatory sequences drive expression in a male-tissue-preferred manner and may be targets to downregulate an operably linked gene. Methods to track mutations that induce nuclear recessive male sterility in subsequent selfing and crossing of wheat lines containing the mutations are also provided. Male-sterile plants may be maintained by pollinating with a maintainer plant.

First claim

That which is claimed:

1. An expression cassette comprising a regulatory element operably linked to a heterologous polynucleotide, wherein said regulatory element is a polynucleotide comprising a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of:
(a) a nucleotide sequence comprising SEQ ID NO: 6 or 8;
(b) a nucleotide sequence comprising at least 97% identity to the full length of SEQ ID NO: 6 or 8 and which drives expression of an operably linked polynucleotide; and
(c) a nucleotide sequence comprising at least about 1250 contiguous nucleotides of SEQ ID NO: 6 or 8 and which drives expression of an operably linked polynucleotide.

2. A method of regulating expression of a polynucleotide in a plant cell, comprising operably linking said polynucleotide to a regulatory element, wherein the polynucleotide is heterologous with respect to the regulatory element, the plant cell, or both, wherein said regulatory element is a polynucleotide comprising a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of:
(a) a nucleotide sequence comprising SEQ ID NO: 6 or 8;
(b) a nucleotide sequence comprising at least 97% identity to the full length of SEQ ID NO: 6 or 8 and which is capable of driving expression of an operably linked polynucleotide; and
(c) a nucleotide sequence comprising at least about 1250 contiguous nucleotides of SEQ ID NO: 6 or 8 and which is capable of driving expression of an operably linked polynucleotide.

3. The expression cassette of claim 1 , wherein the heterologous polynucleotide encodes a male fertility polypeptide.

4. A plant cell comprising the expression cassette of claim 1 .

5. The plant cell of claim 4 , wherein said expression cassette is stably integrated into the genome of the plant cell.

6. The plant cell of claim 5 , wherein said plant cell is a monocot plant cell.

7. The plant cell of claim 6 , wherein said monocot plant cell is a wheat, rice, rye, maize, brachypodium, or barley plant cell.

8. The method of claim 2 , wherein the polynucleotide encodes a male fertility polypeptide.

9. The method of claim 2 , wherein the polynucleotide is native with respect to said regulatory element polynucleotide.

10. The method of claim 2 , wherein the polynucleotide is expressed in male tissue of a plant.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein said plant is a monocot plant.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein said monocot plant is a wheat, rice, rye, maize, brachypodium, or barley plant.

13. The method of claim 2 , wherein the polynucleotide is native with respect to the plant cell.

14. The method of claim 2 , wherein the polynucleotide encodes a visual marker gene product.

15. A method of regulating expression of a polynucleotide in a plant cell, comprising operably linking said polynucleotide to a regulatory element, wherein said regulatory element is a polynucleotide comprising a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of:
(a) a nucleotide sequence comprising SEQ ID NO: 6 or 8;
(b) a nucleotide sequence comprising at least 97% identity to the full length of SEQ ID NO: 6 or 8 and which is capable of driving expression of an operably linked polynucleotide; and
(c) a nucleotide sequence comprising at least about 1250 contiguous nucleotides of SEQ ID NO: 6 or 8 and which is capable of driving expression of an operably linked polynucleotide;
wherein said regulatory element polynucleotide and polynucleotide are operably linked to a promoter polynucleotide, wherein the promoter polynucleotide is operably linked to a polynucleotide encoding a visual marker gene product.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the polynucleotide encodes a male fertility polypeptide.

17. The plant cell of claim 15 , wherein said plant cell is a monocot plant cell.

18. The plant cell of claim 17 , wherein said monocot plant cell is a wheat, rice, rye, maize, brachypodium, or barley plant cell.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the polynucleotide is expressed in male tissue of a plant.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein said plant is a monocot plant.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein said monocot plant is a wheat, rice, rye, maize, brachypodium, or barley plant.

Assignees

• Pioneer Hi Bred Int

Inventors

• Albertsen Marc C
• Baumann Ute
• Cigan Andrew Mark
• Singh Manjit
• Tucker Elise
• Whitford Ryan

Classifications

• C12N15/8231

  Male-specific, e.g. anther, tapetum, pollen · CPC title

• C12N15/8213

  Targeted insertion of genes into the plant genome by homologous recombination · CPC title

• C12N15/8287

  for fertility modification, e.g. apomixis · CPC title

• A01H1/02

  Methods or apparatus for hybridisation; Artificial pollination {; Fertility} · CPC title

• A01H1/022

  Genic fertility modification, e.g. apomixis · CPC title