Stress tolerance and delayed senescence in plants
OwnerPeter Mccourt, Majid Ghassemian +2inventors
InventorsPETER MCCOURT, MAJID GHASSEMIAN, SEAN CUTLER, DARIO BONETTA
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Abstract
The novel constructs and methods of this invention improve tolerance in plants to environmental stresses and senescence. Nucleic acids encoding a plant farnesyl transferase are described, as are transgenic plants and seeds incorporating these nucleic acids and proteins. Also provided are inhibitors of naturally-occurring farnesyl transferase which, when expressed, will enhance drought tolerance in the plants, improve resistance to senescence and modify growth habit.
Claims30
Isolated DNA comprising SEQ ID NO:1 or its functional equivalent.
Isolated DNA comprising 20-200 consecutive nucleotides of SEQ ID NO:1.
An isolated protein comprising SEQ ID NO:2 or its functional equivalent.
An isolated nucleic acid construct comprising:
- a) a promoter;
- and
- b) nucleic acid encoding an inhibitor of a plant farnesyl transferase.
A plant having a mutation in the gene encoding farnesyl transferase, which results in loss of farnesyl transferase activity.
Seed of a transgenic plant, wherein farnesyl transferase activity is inhibited in the seed due to transformation of the plant, or transformation of a plant part regenerated to produce the transgenic plant, wherein said transformation results in loss of farnesyl transferase activity.
A method of altering the level of farnesyl transferase in a plant comprising:
- a) transferring a nucleic acid to a plant cell from which the plant is regenerated, wherein the nucleic acid comprises an isolated nucleic acid which hybridizes to DNA having the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:1 under conditions of high stringency, wherein said nucleic acid encodes a product necessary for the activity of farnesyl transferase;
- and
- b) regenerating the plant from the plant cell, such that the plant expresses the nucleic acid.
A method of producing drought-tolerant plants comprising:
- a) preparing a nucleic acid construct comprising a promoter operably-linked to a nucleic acid comprising antisense to SEQ ID NO:1 or nucleic acid comprising a functional equivalent of the antisense;
- b) inserting the nucleic acid construct into a vector;
- c) transforming a plant, tissue culture, or plant cells with the vector;
- and
- d) growing the plant or regenerating a plant from the tissue culture or plant cells;
- wherein drought-tolerant plants are produced.
A method of detecting transformation in plants consisting of:
- a) incorporating a nucleic acid construct comprising a promoter operably-linked to a nucleic acid comprising antisense to SEQ ID NO:1 or nucleic acid comprising a functional equivalent of the antisense;
- b) inserting the nucleic acid construct into a plant, plant cell or plant tissue;
- and
- c) growing the plant, or regenerating a plant from the plant cell or plant tissue until stomates are formed;
- d) placing the plant or regenerated plant under conditions wherein the plant is drought stressed, wherein survival of the plant under drought conditions compared to untransformed plants is indicative of transformation.
A method of reducing lateral branching which comprises introducing into a plant or plant cell a nucleic acid encoding a product which inhibits the activity of endogenous farnesyl transferase.
A method of delaying senescence which comprises introducing into a plant or plant cell a nucleic acid encoding a product which inhibits the activity of endogenous farnesyl transferase.
The method of 26 wherein the nucleic acid is selected from the group consisting of 25-200 or more consecutive nucleotides complementary to SEQ ID NO:1, oligonucleotides consisting of 25 or more consecutive nucleotides of SEQ ID NO:1 or its complement;
- and nucleic acid encoding a peptide inhibitor of farnesyl transferase.
A method of delaying senescence, maintaining chlorophyll levels, reducing lateral branches, and increasing the number of flowers per inflorescence in a plant by inhibiting farnesyl transferase activity in the plant compared to naturally-occurring plants under the same environmental conditions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.