Methods and compositions for controlling meristem size for crop improvement
AssigneePairwise Plants Services, Inc.
InventorDevin Lee O'Connor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This invention relates to compositions and methods for modifying FASCIATED EAR2 (FEA2) genes in plants, optionally to modify meristem size. The invention further relates to plants having increased kernel row number produced using the methods and compositions of the invention.
Claims8
A corn plant or plant part thereof comprising at least one mutation in an endogenous FASCIATED EAR2 (FEA2) gene that encodes a FEA2 polypeptide, wherein the endogenous FEA2 gene (a) comprises a nucleotide sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:72 or SEQ ID NO:73, (b) comprises a region having at least 90% sequence identity to any one of the nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NOs:
- 75-77, (c) encodes an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:74, and/or (d) encodes a polypeptide comprising a region having at least 90% sequence identity to any one of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs:
- 78-80;
- the at least one mutation is an insertion located in a region comprising a sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to any one of SEQ ID NOs:
- 75-77;
- the at least one mutation results in a premature stop codon;
- and the at least one mutation results in a mutated FEA2 gene with a nucleotide sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:84 and/or encoding a mutated FEA2 polypeptide having at least 90% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:85.
A method for producing a corn plant or plant part thereof comprising at least one cell having a mutated endogenous FASCIATED EAR2 (FEA2) gene, the method comprising:
- contacting a target site in an endogenous FEA2 gene in the corn plant or plant part with a nuclease comprising a cleavage domain and a nucleic acid binding domain, wherein the nucleic acid binding domain binds to a target site in the endogenous FEA2 gene,
- wherein the endogenous FEA2 gene
- (a) comprises a nucleotide sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to the sequence of SEQ ID NO:72 or SEQ ID NO:73;
- (b) encodes an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to the sequence of SEQ ID NO:74;
- (c) comprises a region having at least 90% sequence identity to the nucleotide sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs:
- 75-77;
- and/or
- (d) encodes a region of a polypeptide having at least 90% sequence identity to any one of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs:
- 78-80;
- the target site is located in a nucleotide sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to any one of SEQ ID NOs:
- 75-77 or encoding any one of the polypeptide sequences of SEQ ID NOs:
- 78-80;
- the mutation in the endogenous FEA2 gene results in a premature stop codon, and the mutation results in a mutated FEA2 gene with a nucleotide sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:84 and/or encoding a mutated FEA2 polypeptide having at least 90% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:85, thereby producing the corn plant or plant part thereof comprising at least one cell having a mutation in the endogenous FEA2 gene.
A corn plant or part thereof comprising a nucleic acid comprising a sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:
- 84 and/or encoding a mutated FEA2 polypeptide having at least 90% sequence identity to any one of SEQ ID NO:
- 85, wherein the nucleic acid comprises at least one mutation.
A corn plant or part thereof comprising a truncated corn FASCIATED EAR2 (FEA2) polypeptide comprising the polypeptide sequence of SEQ ID NO:
- 85.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.