Plants having enhanced nitrogen use efficiency and methods of producing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016010102-A1
Application number	US-201414772276-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 4, 2014
Priority date	Mar 6, 2013
Publication date	Jan 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods are provided for enhancing yield and nitrogen use efficiency in plants, and to methods of increasing biomass and seed yield in plants grown under nitrogen limiting conditions using variants of enzymes involved in nitrogen assimilation or metabolism from non-plant organisms.

First claim

1 . A transgenic plant or plant part comprising a polynucleotide encoding a non-endogenous nitrogen utilization protein gene operably linked to a specific promoter.

2 . The transgenic plant or plant part according to claim 1 , wherein the plant is selected from the group consisting of: corn, wheat, maize, rice, barley, canola, soybean, cotton, alfalfa, safflower, tomato and potato.

3 . The transgenic plant or plant part according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the novel non-endogenous nitrogen utilization protein gene is from any non-plant.

4 . The transgenic plant or plant part according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the novel non-endogenous nitrogen utilization protein gene is alanine aminotransferase (AlaAT).

5 . The transgenic plant or plant part according to claim 4 , wherein the AlaAT gene comprises a nucleotide sequence encoding a protein having at least 80% amino acid identity to the amino acid sequence of barley AlaAT, mouse AlaAT or Pyrococcus AlaAt.

6 . The transgenic plant or plant part according to claim 4 , wherein the AlaAT gene comprises a nucleotide sequence encoding a protein having at least 80% amino acid identity to the sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2.

7 . A seed obtained from the transgenic plant according to any one of claims 1 to 6 .

8 . A plant cell transformed with a polynucleotide encoding a nitrogen utilization protein operably linked to a PBpr1 promoter.

9 . The plant cell according to claim 8 , wherein the plant cell is selected from the group consisting of: a corn plant cell, a wheat plant cell, a maize plant cell, a rice plant cell, a barley plant cell, a canola plant cell, a soybean plant cell, a cotton plant cell, an alfalfa plant cell, a safflower plant cell, a tomato plant cell and a potato plant cell.

10 . The plant cell according to claim 9 , wherein the plant cell is a rice plant cell, a barley plant cell, a wheat plant cell or a maize plant cell.

11 . The plant cell according to claim 9 , wherein the plant cell is a rice plant cell.

12 . The plant cell according to any one of claims 8 to 11 , wherein the nitrogen utilization protein is selected from the group consisting of: an aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase.

13 . The plant cell according to any one of claims 8 to 11 , wherein the nitrogen utilization protein is an aminotransferase.

14 . The plant cell according to any one of claims 8 to 11 , wherein the nitrogen utilization protein is alanine aminotransferase (AlaAT).

15 . The plant cell according to claim 14 , wherein the gene encoding the AlaAT protein comprises a nucleotide sequence substantially identical to the sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1, 3 or 4.

16 . A genetic construct comprising a polynucleotide encoding a non-endogenous nitrogen utilization protein gene operably linked to a specific promoter.

17 . The genetic construct according to claim 16 , wherein the nitrogen utilization protein is selected from the group consisting of an aminotransferase and an alanine aminotransferase.

18 . The genetic construct according to claim 17 , wherein the nitrogen utilization protein is alanine aminotransferase.

19 . The genetic construct according to any one of claims 16 to 18 , wherein the genetic construct further comprises a transcription termination sequence, a polyadenylation region, or both.

20 . The genetic construct according to any one of claims 16 to 19 , wherein the specific promoter is the PBpr1 promoter, and the PBpr1 promoter comprises a nucleotide sequence substantially identical to the sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 5.

21 . A vector comprising the genetic construct according to any one of claims 16 to 20 .

22 . A method of generating a plant having increased nitrogen use efficiency comprising:
transforming a plant cell with the genetic construct according to any one of claims 16 to 20 or the vector according to claim 21 , and growing the transformed plant cell to produce a plant that expresses the nitrogen utilization protein from a specific promoter, thereby generating a plant having increased nitrogen use efficiency, wherein the increased nitrogen use efficiency is relative to the nitrogen use efficiency of a wild-type plant grown under identical conditions.

23 . A method of generating a plant having increased biomass comprising: transforming a plant cell with the genetic construct according to any one of claims 16 to 20 or the vector according to claim 21 , and growing the transformed plant cell to produce a plant that expresses the nitrogen utilization protein from the promoter, thereby generating a plant having increased biomass, wherein the increased biomass is relative to the biomass of a wild-type plant grown under identical conditions.

24 . A method of generating a plant having increased seed yield comprising: transforming a plant cell with the genetic construct according to any one of claims 16 to 20 or the vector according to claim 21 , and growing the transformed plant cell to produce a plant that expresses the nitrogen utilization protein from the promoter, thereby generating a plant having increased seed yield, wherein the increased seed yield is relative to the seed yield of a wild-type plant grown under identical conditions.

25 . A method for producing a plant having increased nitrogen use efficiency, increased biomass, increased seed yield, earlier development time, or a combination thereof, comprising:
(a) providing a plant, a plant part or a seed comprising the genetic construct according to any one of claims 16 to 20 or the vector according to claim 21 , and (b) growing a plant from the plant, plant part or seed,
thereby producing a plant having increased nitrogen uptake, increased biomass, increased seed yield, earlier development time, or a combination thereof, wherein the increased nitrogen uptake, increased biomass and increased seed yield is relative to the nitrogen uptake, biomass and seed yield of a wild-type plant grown under identical conditions.

26 . The method of claim 25 , further comprising providing a fertilizer to the plant or the habitat of the plant in step (b).

27 . The method of claim 26 , wherein the fertilizer is a nitrogen containing fertilizer.

28 . The method according to any one of claims 22 to 27 , wherein the plant is selected from the group consisting of: corn, wheat, maize, rice, barley, canola, soybean, cotton, alfalfa, safflower, sugarcane, tomato and potato.

29 . The method of any one of claims 22 to 28 , wherein the increased nitrogen use efficiency, increased biomass or increased seed yield is observed in the mature plant.

30 . Use of the genetic construct according to any one of claims 16 to 20 or the vector according to claim 21 to increase nitrogen use efficiency, biomass or seed yield in a plant.

31 . A process for increasing nitrogen use efficiency, biomass, seed yield, or a combination thereof, in a plant comprising: providing a seed comprising the genetic construct according to any one of claims 16 to 20 or the vector according to claim 21 , applying a herbicide, insecticide, fertilizer, or combination thereof, to the seed, and growing a plant from the seed, wherein the plant has increased nitrogen use efficiency, increased biomass, increased seed yield, or a combination

Assignees

• Bayer Cropscience Ag

Inventors

• Mcallister Chandra
• Beatty Perrin
• D Entremont Jayne
• Good Allen

Classifications

• Y02A40/146

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

• C12N9/1096

  transferring nitrogenous groups (2.6) · CPC title

• C12Y206/01002

  Alanine transaminase (2.6.1.2), i.e. alanine-aminotransferase · CPC title

• C12N15/8261 Primary

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

• C12N5/14

  Plant cells · CPC title