Chimeric insecticidal proteins toxic or inhibitory to lepidopteran pests

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025154210-A1
Application number	US-202519030863-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 17, 2025
Priority date	Oct 16, 2014
Publication date	May 15, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

Nucleotide sequences are disclosed that encode novel chimeric insecticidal proteins exhibiting Lepidopteran inhibitory activity. Particular embodiments provide compositions and transformed plants, plant parts, and seeds containing the recombinant nucleic acid molecules encoding one or more of the chimeric insecticidal proteins.

First claim

1 . A chimeric insecticidal protein comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 95% amino acid sequence identity to the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 33.

2 . The chimeric insecticidal protein of claim 1 , wherein the chimeric insecticidal protein exhibits inhibitory activity against an insect species of the order Lepidoptera.

3 . The chimeric insecticidal protein of claim 2 , wherein the insect species is selected from the group consisting of: Anticarsia gemmatalis, Diatraea saccharalis, Elasmopalpus lignosellus, Helicoverpa zea, Heliothis virescens, Chrysodeixis includens, Spodoptera cosmioides, Spodoptera eridania, Spodoptera frugiperda, Spodoptera exigua, Helicoverpa armigera, Spodoptera litura, Pectinophora gossypiella, Diatraea grandiosella, Earias vitella, Helicoverpa gelotopeon, and Rachiplusia nu.

4 . A polynucleotide encoding the chimeric insecticidal protein of claim 1 , wherein the polynucleotide is operably linked to a heterologous promoter.

5 . A polynucleotide encoding a chimeric insecticidal protein, wherein the polynucleotide comprises a nucleotide sequence having at least 95% sequence identity to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:31 or SEQ ID NO:32; or wherein the polynucleotide encodes a chimeric insecticidal protein comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 95% amino acid sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:33.

6 . A host cell comprising the polynucleotide of claim 5 , wherein the host cell is selected from the group consisting of a bacterial host cell or a plant host cell.

7 . The host cell of claim 6 , wherein the bacterial host cell is selected from the group consisting of Agrobacterium, Rhizobium, Bacillus, Brevibacillus, Escherichia, Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, and Erwinia; and wherein the Bacillus species is a Bacillus cereus or a Bacillus thuringiensis, said Brevibacillus is a Brevibacillus laterosperous, and said Escherichia is an Escherichia coli.

8 . The host cell of claim 6 , wherein the plant host cell is selected from the group of plants consisting of monocots and dicots.

9 . An insect inhibitory composition comprising the chimeric insecticidal protein of claim 1 .

10 . The insect inhibitory composition of claim 9 , further comprising at least one insect inhibitory agent different from the chimeric insecticidal protein.

11 . The insect inhibitory composition of claim 10 , wherein the at least one insect inhibitory agent is selected from the group consisting of an insect inhibitory protein, an insect inhibitory dsRNA molecule, and an insect inhibitory chemistry.

12 . The insect inhibitory composition of claim 10 , wherein the at least one other pesticidal agent exhibits activity against one or more pest species of the orders Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Homoptera, or Thysanoptera.

13 . A seed comprising an insect inhibitory effective amount of the chimeric insecticidal protein of claim 1 or a polynucleotide encoding the chimeric insecticidal protein.

14 . A method of controlling a Lepidopteran pest, the method comprising contacting the Lepidopteran pest with an inhibitory amount of the chimeric insecticidal protein of claim 1 .

15 . A transgenic plant cell, plant or plant part comprising the chimeric insecticidal protein of claim 1 or a polynucleotide encoding the chimeric insecticidal protein.

16 . A method of controlling a Lepidopteran pest, comprising exposing the pest to the transgenic plant cell, plant or plant part of claim 15 , wherein said plant cell, plant or plant part expresses a Lepidopteran inhibitory amount of the chimeric insecticidal protein.

17 . A commodity product derived from the plant cell, plant, or plant part of claim 15 , wherein the product comprises a detectable amount of the chimeric insecticidal protein.

18 . The commodity product of claim 17 , wherein the product is selected from the group consisting of plant biomass, oil, meal, animal feed, flour, flakes, bran, lint, hulls, and processed seed.

19 . A method of producing a seed comprising the chimeric insecticidal protein of claim 1 , the method comprising:
a) planting at least one seed comprising the chimeric insecticidal protein of claim 1 ; b) growing plants from the seed; and c) harvesting seed from the plants, wherein the harvested seed comprises the chimeric insecticidal protein of claim 1 .

20 . A recombinant polynucleotide molecule encoding the chimeric insecticidal protein of claim 1 and a polynucleotide sequence encoding an insect inhibitory agent different from the chimeric insecticidal protein.

21 . (canceled)

22 . The chimeric insecticidal protein of claim 1 , wherein the chimeric insecticidal protein comprises the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:33.

Assignees

• Monsanto Technology Llc

Inventors

• Baum James A
• Cerruti Thomas A
• Dart Crystal L
• English Leigh H
• Flasinski Stanislaw
• Fu Xiaoran
• Guzov Victor M
• Howe Arlene R
• Morgenstern Jay P
• Roberts James K
• Salvador Sara A
• Wang Jinling

Classifications

• C12N15/8286 Primary

  for insect resistance · CPC title

• Y02A40/146

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

• C07K2319/00

  Fusion polypeptide · CPC title

• C12N15/62

  DNA sequences coding for fusion proteins · CPC title

• A01N63/50

  Isolated enzymes; Isolated proteins (peptides A01N37/46) · CPC title