Methods and Compositions for Plant Pest Control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016168587-A1
Application number	US-201414775526-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 12, 2014
Priority date	Mar 13, 2013
Publication date	Jun 16, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention comprises methods and compositions for controlling nematode parasitism in host plant. The present invention comprises novel polynucleotides and polypeptides encoded by such polynucleotides comprising one or more nucleic acid sequences disclosed herein having a nucleotide sequence comprising any one of SEQ ID NO: 1-142 or 161, a fragment or variant thereof, or a complement thereof, or a polypeptide sequence comprising any one of SEQ ID NO: 143-160, a fragment or variant thereof.

First claim

1 . A nucleic acid construct, comprising, a nucleotide sequence operably linked to a heterologous promoter selected from the group consisting of:
(a) a nucleotide sequence comprising any one of SEQ ID NO: 161, a fragment or variant thereof, or a complement thereof; (b) a nucleotide sequence comprising at least 90% sequence identity to any one of SEQ ID NO: 161, a fragment or variant thereof, or a complement thereof, wherein said nucleotide sequence encodes a silencing element having nematocidal activity against a nematode plant pest; (c) a nucleotide sequence comprising at least 19 consecutive nucleotides of any one of SEQ ID NO: 161, a fragment or variant thereof, or a complement thereof, wherein said nucleotide sequence encodes a silencing element having nematocidal activity against a nematode plant pest; (d) a nucleotide sequence that hybridizes under stringent conditions to the full length complement of the nucleotide sequence of a), wherein said stringent conditions comprise hybridization in 50% formamide, 1 M NaCl, 1% SDS at 37° C., and a wash in 0.1×SSC at 60° C. to 65° C., wherein said nucleotide sequence encodes a silencing element having nematocidal activity against a nematode plant pest; and, (e) a nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide sequence comprising SEQ ID NO: 160 or a fragment or variant thereof.

2 . The nucleic acid construct of claim 1 , wherein said nematode plant pest is a Heterodera nematode, a Meloidogyne nematode, and/or a Globedera nematode plant pest.

3 . The nucleic acid construct of claim 2 , wherein the nematode plant pest is Heterodera glycines.

4 .- 7 . (canceled)

8 . The nucleic acid construct of claim 1 , wherein the construct is an expression cassette that expresses the nucleotide sequence as a double stranded RNA.

9 . The nucleic acid construct of claim 1 , wherein the construct is an expression cassette that expresses the nucleotide sequence as a hairpin RNA.

10 . The nucleic acid construct of claim 9 , wherein the hairpin RNA comprises, in the following order, a first segment, a second segment, and a third segment, wherein
(a) the first segment comprises at least about 19 nucleotides having at least 90% sequence complementarity to a target sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 161, a fragment or variant thereof; (b) the second segment comprises a loop of sufficient length to allow the silencing element to be transcribed as a hairpin RNA; and, (c) the third segment comprises at least about 19 nucleotides having at least 85% complementarity to the first segment.

11 . A host cell comprising a nucleic acid construct of any one claim 1 .

12 . A plant cell, comprising, at least one heterologous nucleic acid construct, wherein the heterologous nucleic acid construct comprises
(a) a nucleotide sequence comprising any one of SEQ ID NO: 161, a fragment or variant thereof, or a complement thereof, wherein the nucleotide sequence encodes a silencing element having nematocidal activity against a nematode plant pest; (b) a nucleotide sequence comprising at least 90% sequence identity to any one of SEQ ID NO: 161, a fragment or variant thereof, or a complement thereof, wherein the nucleotide sequence encodes a silencing element having nematocidal activity against a nematode plant pest; (c) a nucleotide sequence comprising at least 19 consecutive nucleotides of any one of SEQ ID NO: 161, a fragment or variant thereof, or a complement thereof, wherein the nucleotide sequence encodes a silencing element having nematocidal activity against a nematode plant pest; or (d) a nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide sequence comprising SEQ ID NO: 160 or a fragment or variant thereof, wherein the nucleotide sequence encodes a silencing element having nematocidal activity against a nematode plant pest; wherein the silencing element, when ingested by a nematode plant pest, reduces the level of at least one target sequence in the nematode plant pest and thereby controls the nematode plant pest.

13 . (canceled)

14 . The plant cell of claim 13 , wherein the nematode plant pest is H. glycines.

15 . (canceled)

16 . The plant cell of claim 12 , wherein the silencing element is a double stranded RNA.

17 . The plant cell of claim 12 , wherein the silencing element is a hairpin RNA.

18 . The plant cell of claim 17 , wherein the polynucleotide comprising the silencing element comprises, in the following order, a first segment, a second segment, and a third segment, wherein
(a) the first segment comprises at least about 19 nucleotides having at least 90% sequence complementarity to a target sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 161, a fragment or variant thereof; (b) the second segment comprises a loop of sufficient length to allow the silencing element to be transcribed as a hairpin RNA; and, (c) the third segment comprises at least about 19 nucleotides having at least 85% complementarity to the first segment.

19 . (canceled)

20 . The plant cell of claim 12 , wherein the plant cell is from a monocot.

21 . The plant cell of claim 20 , wherein said monocot is maize, barley, millet, wheat or rice.

22 . The plant cell of claim 12 , wherein the plant cell is from a dicot.

23 . The plant cell of claim 22 , wherein the plant is soybean, canola, alfalfa, sunflower, safflower, tobacco, Arabidopsis , or cotton.

24 .- 29 . (canceled)

30 . A method for controlling a nematode plant pest, comprising, feeding to a nematode plant pest a composition comprising a silencing element, wherein said silencing element, when ingested by said nematode plant pest, reduces the level of a target nematode plant pest sequence and thereby controls the nematode plant pest, wherein said target nematode plant pest sequence comprises:
(a) a nucleotide sequence comprising at least 90% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 161, a fragment, variant or a complement thereof, or (b) a fragment of at least 19 consecutive nucleotides of SEQ ID NO: 161, a fragment or variant thereof, or a complement thereof.

31 . (canceled)

32 . The method of claim 31 , wherein the nematode plant pest is H. glycines.

33 .- 34 . (canceled)

35 . The plant cell of claim 34 , wherein the nematode plant pest is H. glycines.

36 . The method of claim 30 , wherein the composition comprises a plant or plant part having stably incorporated into its genome a polynucleotide comprising the silencing element.

37 . (canceled)

38 . The method of claim 30 , wherein the silencing element comprises a double stranded RNA.

39 . The method of claim 30 , wherein said silencing element comprises a hairpin RNA.

40 . The method of claim 39 , wherein said polynucleotide comprising the silencing element comprises, in the following order, a first segment, a second segment, and a third segment, wherein
(a) the first segment comprises at least about 20 nucleotides having at least 90% sequence complementarity to the target polynucleotide; (b) the second segment comprises a loop of sufficient length to allow the silencing element to be transcribed as a hairpin RNA; and, (c) the third segment comprises at least about 20 nucleotides having at least 85% complementarity to the first segment.

41 . (canceled)

42 . The method of claim 30 , wherein the silencing element is fla

Assignees

• Pioneer Hi Bred Int
• Univ Iowa State Res Found
• Univ North Carolina State
• Univ Georgia
• Univ Missouri

Inventors

• Wei Jun-Zhi
• Wu Gusui
• Simmons Carl
• Baum Thomas
• Davis Eric
• Hussey Richard
• Mitchum Melissa G

Classifications

• A01N43/90

  having two or more relevant hetero rings, condensed among themselves or with a common carbocyclic ring system · CPC title

• C12N15/8285 Primary

  for nematode resistance · CPC title

• C07K14/4354

  from nematodes · CPC title

• C12N15/8218

  Antisense, co-suppression, viral induced gene silencing [VIGS], post-transcriptional induced gene silencing [PTGS] · CPC title

• Y02A40/146

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