Herbicide tolerant plants expressing a cyanobacterial plastoquinone biosynthetic pathway

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021254091-A1
Application number	US-201917251550-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 14, 2019
Priority date	Jun 29, 2018
Publication date	Aug 19, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for conferring tolerance to a 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) inhibitor herbicide in a plant by expressing one or more polypeptide components of an exogenous plastoquinone-9 pathway in the plant. Nucleic acids, vectors, transgenic cells and transgenic plants useful in such a method are also disclosed.

First claim

1 . A method for providing to a plant increased tolerance to a 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) inhibitor herbicide, the method comprising expressing in the plant transgenes encoding exogenous polypeptides of a cyanobacterial pathway for biosynthesis of 2-solanesyl-1,4-benzoquinol (SBQ) from endogenous chorismate, said exogenous polypeptides being the polypeptides of:
(a) at least one cyanobacterial chorismate lyase enzyme, (b) at least one cyanobacterial 4-hydroxybenzoate solanesyltransferase enzyme, (c) at least one cyanobacterial 4-hydroxy-3-prenylbenzoate decarboxylase enzyme, and (d) at least one cyanobacterial solanesylphenol hydroxylase enzyme.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plant comprises enzymes that convert SBQ to plastoquinone-9 (PQ9), said enzymes being:
(e) at least one MPBQ/MSBQ methyltransferase enzyme, and (f) at least one plastoquinol-plastocyanin reductase enzyme.

3 . The method of claim 2 , where said MPBQ/MSBQ methyltransferase and plastoquinol-plastocyanin reductase enzymes are native to the plant.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the chorismate lyase enzyme polypeptide comprises a UbiC polypeptide.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the UbiC polypeptide has at least 75% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 1 or to the polypeptide encoded by SEQ ID NO: 11.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the 4-hydroxybenzoate solanesyltransferase enzyme polypeptide comprises a UbiA polypeptide.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the UbiA polypeptide has at least 75% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2 or to the polypeptide encoded by SEQ ID NO: 12.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the 4-hydroxy-3-prenylbenzoate decarboxylase enzyme polypeptide comprises either a UbiX polypeptide or a UbiD polypeptide, or said plant comprises two cyanobacterial 4-hydroxy-3-prenylbenzoate decarboxylase enzyme polypeptides comprising a UbiX polypeptide and a UbiD polypeptide.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the UbiX polypeptide has at least 75% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 3 or to the polypeptide encoded by SEQ ID NO: 13, and/or wherein the UbiD polypeptide has at least 75% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 4 or to the polypeptide encoded by SEQ ID NO: 14.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the solanesylphenol hydroxylase enzyme polypeptide comprises a UbiH polypeptide.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the UbiH polypeptide has at least 75% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 5 or to the polypeptide encoded by SEQ ID NO: 15.

12 . The method of claim 2 , wherein said MPBQ/MSBQ methyltransferase enzyme(s) comprise at least one exogenous, cyanobacterial MPBQ/MSBQ methyltransferase polypeptide expressed from a transgene in the plant.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein said cyanobacterial MPBQ/MSBQ methyltransferase polypeptide(s) comprise at least one of a Sll0418 polypeptide, a slr0089 polypeptide, a sll1407 polypeptide, a slr0407 polypeptide, and/or a sll0829 polypeptide.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the Sll0418 polypeptide has at least 75% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 6 or to the polypeptide encoded by SEQ ID NO: 16, the slr0089 polypeptide has at least 75% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 7 or to the polypeptide encoded by SEQ ID NO: 17, the sll1407 polypeptide has at least 75% sequence identity to SEQ Internal ID NO: 8 or to the polypeptide encoded by SEQ ID NO: 18, the slr0407 polypeptide has at least 75% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 9 or to the polypeptide encoded by SEQ ID NO: 19, and/or the sll0829 polypeptide has at least 75% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 10 or to the polypeptide encoded by SEQ ID NO: 20.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the exogenous polypeptides comprise at least:
a UbiC polypeptide; a UbiA polypeptide; a UbiX polypeptide; a UbiD polypeptide; and a UbiH polypeptide.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the exogenous polypeptides further comprise at least one of a Sll0418 polypeptide, a slr0089 polypeptide, a sll1407 polypeptide, a slr0407 polypeptide, and/or a sll0829 polypeptide.

17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the exogenous polypeptides are expressed from at least one transformation vector.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the at least one transformation vector comprises:
a nucleic acid encoding a UbiC polypeptide; a nucleic acid encoding a UbiA polypeptide; a nucleic acid encoding a UbiX polypeptide; a nucleic acid encoding a UbiD polypeptide; and a nucleic acid encoding a UbiH polypeptide.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the transformation vector further comprises a nucleic acid encoding one or more of one or more of a Sll0418 polypeptide, a slr0089 polypeptide, a sll1407 polypeptide, a slr0407 polypeptide, and/or a sll0829 polypeptide.

20 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plant is a soybean plant.

21 . (canceled)

22 . A plant or plant cell comprising the exogenous polypeptides referred to in claim 1 .

23 . The plant or plant cell of claim 22 , wherein said plant or plant cell comprises 2-solanesyl-1,4-benzoquinol (SBQ) produced in the plant or plant cell from endogenous chorismate by enzymes comprising said exogenous polypeptide(s).

24 . The plant or plant cell of claim 22 , wherein said plant or plant cell comprises plastoquinol-9 (PQH2) or plastoquinone-9 (PQ9) biosynthesized in the plant or plant cell from SBQ produced in the plant or plant cell from endogenous chorismate by enzymes comprising said exogenous polypeptide(s).

25 . The plant or plant cell of claim 24 , wherein (i) said PQH2 is biosynthesized by at least one endogenous MPBQ/MSBQ methyltransferase enzyme(s), or (ii) said PQ9 is biosynthesized by at least one endogenous plastoquinol-plastocyanin reductase, or (iii) both (i) and (ii).

26 . The plant or plant cell of claim 24 , wherein said PQH2 is biosynthesized by at least one MPBQ/MSBQ methyltransferase enzyme(s) comprising exogenous cyanobacterial MPBQ/MSBQ methyltransferase polypeptide(s) expressed from transgene(s) in the plant or plant cell.

27 . The plant or plant cell of claim 26 , wherein said exogenous MPBQ/MSBQ methyltransferase polypeptide(s) comprises at least one of a Sll0418 polypeptide, a slr0089 polypeptide, a sll1407 polypeptide, a slr0407 polypeptide, and/or a sll0829 polypeptide.

28 . The plant or plant cell of claim 27 , wherein the Sll0418 polypeptide has at least 75% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 6, the slr0089 polypeptide has at least 75% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 7, the sll1407 polypeptide has at least 75% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 8, the slr0407 polypeptide has at least 75% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 9, and/or the sll0829 polypeptide has at least 75% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 10.

29 . The plant or plant cell of claim 22 , wherein the exogenous polypeptides comprise at least:
a UbiC polypeptide; a UbiA polypeptide; a UbiX polypeptide; a UbiD polypeptide; and a UbiH polypeptide.

30 . The plant or plant cell of claim 29 , wherein the exogenous polypeptides further comprise at least one of a Sll0418 polypeptide, a slr0089 polypeptide, a sll1407 polypeptide, a slr0407 polypeptide, and/or a sll0829 polypeptide.

31 . The plant or plant cell of claim 22 , wherein the plant is a soybean plant, or the plant cell is a soybean plant cell.

32 . Isolated nucleic acid

Assignees

• BASF Agricultural Solutions Seed US LLC

Inventors

• Dubald Manuel

Classifications

• C12N9/0073 Primary

  with NADH or NADPH as one donor, and incorporation of one atom of oxygen 1.14.13 · CPC title

• C12N15/8274 Primary

  for herbicide resistance · CPC title

• C12Y114/13001

  Salicylate 1-monooxygenase (1.14.13.1) · CPC title

• C12Y401/0304

  Chorismate lyase (4.1.3.40) · CPC title

• C12Y401/01

  Carboxy-lyases (4.1.1) · CPC title