Modified CULLIN1 gene

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12419235-B2
Application number	US-202016813919-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 10, 2020
Priority date	Sep 8, 2015
Publication date	Sep 23, 2025
Grant date	Sep 23, 2025

Abstract

The present invention relates to a modified Cullin1 gene which leads to a plant type that enables efficient cultivation and/or is suitable for situations that require smaller portions, or reduces the labour, time and expenses involved with storing, handling and transporting of redundant plant leaves. The invention also relates to plants comprising the modified Cullin1 gene. The modified Cullin1 gene provides plants with a compact growth phenotype, i.e. comprising shorter internode length and/or a smaller leaf area when compared to plants not comprising the modified Cullin1 gene. The invention further relates to the use of the modified Cullin1 gene for the identification and development of a plant showing a compact growth phenotype, i.e. comprising shorter internodes and/or a smaller leaf area.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for selecting a Cucumis sativus plant, a Cucumis melo plant, a Cucurbita pepo plant, or a Citrullus lanatus plant comprising a modified Cullin1 gene and expressing a modified Cullin1 protein comprising a single non-silent amino acid substitution, wherein the Cucumis sativus plant, a Cucumis melo plant, a Cucurbita pepo plant, or a Citrullus lanatus plant expressing the modified Cullin1 protein exhibits a compact growth phenotype as compared to an isogenic line not comprising the modified Cullin 1 protein wherein the method comprises;
a) testing the plant for presence of the modified Cullin1 gene, or for the presence of the modified Cullin 1 protein,
wherein:
when the plant is a Cucumis sativus plant, the testing comprises detecting modification of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 leading to change of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 18, or detecting modification of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 18 in the region that binds SKP1 and/or ETA2, wherein the modification of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 confers a substitution in the Cullin1polypeptide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 18 between positions 30 to 60 of SEQ ID NO: 18, wherein the modification of the nucleotide sequence excludes the substitution of A to G at position 147 of SEQ ID NO: 1;
when the plant is a Cucumis melo plant, the testing comprises detecting modification of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 leading to change of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 19, or detecting modification of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 19 in the region that binds SKP1 and/or ETA2 wherein the modification of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 confers a substitution in the Cullin1polypeptide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 19 between positions 30 to 60 of SEQ ID NO: 19;
when the plant is a Cucurbita pepo plant, the testing comprises detecting modification of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3 leading to change of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 20, or detecting modification of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 20 in the region that binds SKP1 and/or ETA2 wherein the modification of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3 confers a substitution in the Cullin 1polypeptide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 20 between positions 30 to 60 of SEQ ID NO: 20;
when the plant is a Citrullus lanatus plant, the testing comprises detecting modification of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4 leading to change of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 21, or detecting modification of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 21 in the region that binds SKP1 and/or ETA2 wherein the modification of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4 confers a substitution in the Cullin 1polypeptide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 21 between positions 30 to 60 of SEQ ID NO: 21;
b) selecting the Cucumis sativus plant, Cucumis melo plant, Cucurbita pepo plant, or Citrullus lanatus plant having the modified Cullin1 gene or the modified Cullin 1 protein; and
c.) growing the Cucumis sativus plant, Cucumis melo plant, Cucurbita pepo plant,
or Citrullus lanatus plant exhibiting a compact growth phenotype compared to an isogenic line not comprising the modified Cullin1 gene.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plant of step a) is a Cucumis melo plant, and the testing comprises detecting modification of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, wherein the modification of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 confers a substitution in the Cullin1 polypeptide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 19between positions 30 to 60 of SEQ ID NO: 19.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plant of step a) is a Cucurbita pepo plant, and the testing comprises detecting modification of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3 wherein the modification of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3 confers a substitution in the Cullin1 polypeptide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 20 between positions 30 to 60 of SEQ ID NO: 20.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plant of step a) is a Citrullus lanatus plant, the testing comprises detecting modification of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4 wherein the modification of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4 confers a substitution in the Cullin1 polypeptide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 21 between positions 30 to 60 of SEQ ID NO: 21.

5. A Cucumis sativus plant, a Cucumis melo plant, a Cucurbita pepo plant, or a Citrullus lanatus plant selected by the method of claim 1 .

6. A plant seed from, or capable of developing into, the plant of claim 5 , and comprising the Cullin1 gene comprising modified Cullin1 gene.

7. A propagation material from or capable of developing into the plant of claim 5 , and comprising the modified Cullin1 gene.

8. A Cucumis melo , a Cucurbita pepo plant, or a Citrullus lanatus plant selected by the method of claim 1 .

9. A Cucumis melo plant or a Cucumis sativus plant selected by the method of claim 1 .

10. The propagation material of claim 7 , wherein the propagation material comprises a microspore, pollen, ovary, ovule, embryo, embryo sac, egg cell, cutting, root, hypocotyl, cotyledon, stem, leaf, flower, anther, seed, meristematic cell, protoplast, cell, or tissue culture thereof.

11. The plant of claim 5 wherein the modified Cullin1 gene is introgressed into the plant.

12. The plant of claim 9 wherein the modified Cullin1 gene is introgressed into the plant.

13. A propagation material from or capable of developing into the plant of claim 11 , and comprising the modified Cullin1 gene.

14. The propagation material of claim 13 , wherein the propagation material comprises a microspore, pollen, ovary, ovule, embryo, embryo sac, egg cell, cutting, root, hypocotyl, cotyledon, stem, leaf, flower, anther, seed, meristematic cell, protoplast, cell, or tissue culture thereof.

15. A mutant Cucumis plant comprising a modified Cullin1 gene comprising a SNP in the wild type nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 which leads to a non-silent amino acid substitution change in the wild type Cullin1 amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 18, excluding a Cucumis sativus plant with SEQ ID NO: 35 as the nucleotide sequence of the modified Cullin1 gene, wherein the modification of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 confers a substitution in the Cullin1 polypeptide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 18 between positions 30 to 60 of SEQ ID NO: 18, wherein the modification of the nucleotide sequence excludes the substitution of A to G at position 147 of SEQ ID NO: 1, and wherein the plant shows a compact growth phenotype as compared to an isogenic plant of the same species not comprising the modified Cullin1 gene.

16. The plant as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the plant belongs to a species selected from the group consisting of Cucumis sativus and Cucumis melo.

17. A mutant Cucumis plant seed from, or capable of developing into, the plant of claim 15 , and comprising the modified Cullin1 gene.

18. A mutant Cucumis plant seed from, or capable of developing into, the plant of claim 16 , and comprising the modified Cullin1 gene.

19. A propagation material from, or capable of developing into, the plant as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the propagation material comprises the modified Cullin1 gene.

20. The propagation material of claim 15 , wherein the propagation material comprises a microspore, pollen, ovary, ovule, embryo, embryo sac, egg cell, cutting, root, hypocotyl, cotyledon, stem, leaf, flower, anther, seed, meristematic cell, protoplast, cell, or tissue culture thereof.

2

Assignees

• Rijk Zwaan Zaadteelt En Zaadhandel Bv

Inventors

• Van Der Linde Lilian
• Movahedi Sara

Classifications

• Y02A40/146

  Genetically Modified [GMO] plants, e.g. transgenic plants · CPC title

• C12Q1/6895

  for plants, fungi or algae · CPC title

• C12N15/8261

  with agronomic (input) traits, e.g. crop yield · CPC title

• C07K14/415 Primary

  from plants · CPC title

• C12Q2600/156

  Polymorphic or mutational markers · CPC title