# US 2014/0157451 A1 · Compositions and Methods for the Generation of Disease Resistant Crops > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0157451 A1 - Document ID: US20140157451A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/138,847 - Filed: 2013-12-23 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2011-06-23 - Applicants: Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research - Inventors: Daniel F. Klessig; Hong-gu Kang; Karl-heinz Kogel; Patricia Manosalva - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140157451A1 ## CPC - C12N 15/8279: {for biotic stress resistance, pathogen resistance, disease resistance} - C12N 15/8218: {Antisense, co-suppression, viral induced gene silencing [VIGS], post-transcriptional induced gene silencing [PTGS]} - C12N 15/8282: {for fungal resistance} - C12N: MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA (microbiological testing media C12Q1/00) ## Abstract Compositions and methods for creating crops exhibiting enhanced pathogen resistance are disclosed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for producing a plant exhibiting increased pathogen resistance comprising, a) introducing a nucleic acid construct encoding RNAi specific for silencing of CRT1 and its closely related homologs into a plant cell, said RNAi effectively inhibiting CRT1 or CRT1 homolog gene expression in said plant cell, said cell exhibiting increased pathogen resistance when compared to wild type plant cells lacking said RNAi. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said RNAi is under the control of a constitutive promoter. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said RNAi is under the control of an inducible promoter. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein said promoter is induced upon infection with a pathogen. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1, 2, 3) A plant produced from the plant cell obtained by any one of claim 1, 2, 3, or 4. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The plant of claim 5 which is barley or tomato. ### Claim 7 A nucleic acid construct encoding a CRT1 or CRT1 homolog specific RNAi which is effective to down modulate expression of said CRT1 or CRT1 homolog in a plant of interest. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) A plant cell comprising the construct of claim 7. ### Claim 9 A method for producing plants exhibiting increased pathogen resistance using the TILLNG method, comprising a) treating plant seeds with an effective amount of an agent effective to introduce mutations into the plant genome, b) screening the progeny plants for the presence of lesions in a CRT1 or CRT1 homolog gene, the lesions resulting in reduced production of functional CRT1 or CRT1 homolog protein, c) testing the plants of step b) for enhanced resistance to pathogens compared to untreated plants. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) A method of producing plants which exhibit enhanced pathogen resistance comprising crossing plants identified using the method of claim 9, such that progeny plants resulting from said cross exhibit enhanced pathogen resistance. ### Claim 11 A method for producing plants exhibiting increased pathogen resistance using a transposable element system, comprising a) crossing, by breeding, a plant, the cells of which harbor transposon elements in their genomes near a CRT1 or CRT1 homolog gene with a plant comprising a nucleic acid which encodes an active transposase, the transposase catalyzing in the progeny plants, transposition of the transposon element into the surrounding DNA including the CRT1 or CRT1 homolog gene, b) screening plants so treated for the presence of lesions in said gene, the lesions being correlated with reduced production of functional CRT1 or CRT1 homolog protein, c) testing the plants of step b) for enhanced resistance to pathogens compared to untreated plants. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein said transposable element system is the Ac/Ds system. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9, 10, 11) A plant produced by the method of claim 9, 10 or 11. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The plant of claim 13, which is barley. ### Claim 15 A method for producing a plant exhibiting increased pathogen resistance comprising, introducing a nucleic acid construct encoding CRT1 or its closely related homologs into a plant cell, thereby over-expressing CRT1, overexpression of CRT1 in said cell being correlated with increased pathogen resistance when compared to wild type plant cells lacking said construct, with the proviso said plant is not Arabidopsis. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein said nucleic acid is under the control of a constitutive promoter. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein said nucleic acid is under the control of an inducible promoter. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein said promoter is induced upon infection with a pathogen. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15, 16, 17) A plant produced from the plant cell obtained from the method of any one of claim 15, 16, 17, or 18. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein said plant is potato. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1, 9, 10, 11, 15) The method of any one of claim 1, 9, 10, 11 or 15, wherein said CRT1 homolog is selected from the group consisting of CRH1, CRH2, CRH3, CRH4, CRH5 and CRH6. ### Claim 22 A nucleic acid encoding a chimeric CRT1 protein which upon expression in a plant alters a disease resistance phenotype in said plant. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The nucleic acid of claim 22, comprising CRT1 domains from potato and tomato. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) The nucleic acid of claim 22, comprising CRT1 domains from a first cereal and barley. ### Claim 25 (depends on 23, 24) A protein encoded by the nucleic acids of claim 23 or claim 24. ### Claim 26 (depends on 23, 24) A plant comprising the nucleic acid of claim 23 or 24.