Herbicide tolerant plants expressing a cyanobacterial plastoquinone biosynthetic pathway

A method for providing a plant having increased tolerance to a 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) inhibitor herbicide, the method comprising:

• (i) 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;
• (ii) growing the plants having the transgene in the presence of an herbicide;
• and
• (iii) selecting the plants, wherein the selected plants have increased tolerance relative to a control plant not having the transgenes exogenous polypeptides of a cyanobacterial pathway for biosynthesis of 2-solanesyl-1,4-benzoquinol (SBQ);
• wherein the chorismate lyase enzyme polypeptide comprises a UbiC polypeptide having at least 75% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:
• 1 or to the polypeptide encoded by SEQ ID NO:
• 11,
• wherein the 4-hydroxybenzoate solanesyltransferase enzyme polypeptide comprises a UbiA polypeptide having at least 75% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:
• 2 or to the polypeptide encoded by SEQ ID NO:
• 12;
• 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 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;
• 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 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;
• and
• wherein the solanesylphenol hydroxylase enzyme polypeptide comprises a UbiH polypeptide 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.