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AssigneePioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.
InventorsCaroline Dean, Anthony Gendall
Estimating the term…
An isolated nucleic acid obtainable from the VRN2 locus of a plant, which nucleic acid encodes a polypeptide which is capable of affecting one or more physical characteristics of a plant into which the nucleic acid is introduced, the physical characteristics being selected from vernalization response, flowering time, leaf size, and/or shape or shade avoidance response; alleles, fragment and derivatives thereof; polypeptides encoded by such nucleic acids; antibodies to such peptides.
An isolated nucleic acid encoding a VRN2 polypeptide of SEQ ID NO:
An isolated nucleic acid comprising SEQ ID NO. 1 or a sequence encoding a polypeptide having at least 95% identity to SEQ ID NO:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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Peptides having more than 20 amino acids; Gastrins; Somatostatins; Melanotropins; Derivatives thereof: from plants
For plant cells , e.g. plant artificial chromosomes: phenotypically and genetically modified plants via recombinant DNA technology
Phenotypically and genetically modified plants via recombinant DNA technology: with agronomic traits, e.g. crop yield
In agriculture: genetically Modified [GMO] plants, e.g. transgenic plants
Term ended 14 Jun 2022 (estimated)
In different embodiments, the present invention provides for manipulation of flowering time and/or other characteristics of plants, e.g. by up or down regulating VRN2 gene expression. The present invention also provides for modification of the extent of alteration of a relevant plant characteristic through the use of gene alleles, mutants and variants.
Plants must integrate a wide variety of environmental signals in order to maximize their reproductive success. Part of this integration must involve perception of the seasons, both to ensure the plant flowers during the correct season (for which it is adapted) and to synchronise its flowering with other members of its own species, to increase the chances of cross-fertilization. Arabidopsis thaliana serves as a model plant, for it exhibits responses to a wide variety of environmental stimuli that are observed in many species. Flowering in naturally occurring strains (ecotypes) of Arabidopsis can be promoted either by long days (increased photoperiod) or by vernalization, a long cold treatment that mimics the cold of winter. While many aspects of the photoperiodic response are now understood, the vernalization pathway has received relatively less attention. The inventors have used a late flowering, vernalization responsive mutant of Arabidopsis, the fca mutant, as a background in which to isolate mutants that exhibit a reduced vernalization response, the VRN mutants.
Vernalization is the low temperature promotion of flowering. It can also be thought of as the cold aspect of the winter season, which also includes reduced daylight hours. Many species of plants that grow in temperate or cooler climes have an obligate requirement for vernalization in order to flower. Such plants typically germinate in autumn, and over-winter as vegetative plants, and flower in milder conditions of spring. Vernalization thus acts as a cue, to allow plants to sense the seasons, and to time their flowering to maximise their chance of reproductive success.
FIG. 1 shows total leaf number (Rosette plus Cauline) of Ler plants (squares), fca-1 plants (diamonds) and vrn2-1 fca-1 plants (circles) after various periods of vernalization (measured in days).
FIG. 2 illustrates the Red Far-Red Light plant phenotype: FIG. 2A shows the area of the largest leaf of Ler, fca-1 and vrn2-1 fca-1 plants grown under white light (W) (open bars) or white light with supplementary FR light (W+FR) (shaded bars). FIG. 2B shows the rosette leaf number at bolting of plants treated as in the experiment of which results are shown in FIG. 2A.
FIG. 3 illustrates results of genetic and physical mapping of VRN2 in Arabidopsis thaliana.
At Arabidopsis thaliana, Sc Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Sp Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Ce Caenorhabditis elegans, Dm Drosophila melanogaster, Hs Homo sapiens, Mm Mus musculus, Rn Rattus norvegicus, Xm Xiphophorus maculatus.
SEQ ID NO:\\Sequence
1 Landsberg erecta VRN2 cDNA 2 Landsberg erecta VRN2 amino acid 3 Landsberg erecta VRN2 genomic 4 Columbia VRN2 cDNA 5 Columbia VRN2 amino acid 6 Columbia VRN2 genomic 7 5K (Columbia, abberant splice) cDNA 8 5K (Columbia, abberant splice) amino acid 9 C72616 EST (modified) cDNA 10 C72616 EST (modified) amino acid 11 AI163743 EST (modified) cDNA 12 AI163743 EST (modified) amino acid 13 At Hyp 2245035 (ATFCA7—4)(modified) cDNA 14 At Hyp 2245035 (ATFCA7—4) (modified) amino acid 15 KIAA0160 cDNA 16 KIAA0160 amino acid Additional Sequences Included in the FIGS: 17 Landsberg erecta VRN2 zinc finger amino acid 18 At Di19 S51478 zinc finger 1 amino acid 19 At Di19 S54178 zinc finger 2 amino acid 20 At SUP U38946 zinc finger amino acid 21 At Hyp 2191171 zinc finger amino acid 22 At Hyp 3377806 zinc finger amino acid 23 Sc Pep7 91500 zinc finger amino acid 24 Sc TFIIIA 730931 zinc finger amino acid 25 Sp Hyp 1351713 zinc finger amino acid 26 Ce Hyp 255942 zinc finger amino acid 27 Ce Hyp 2854197 zinc finger amino acid 28 Ce Hyp 304459 zinc finger amino acid 29 Dm BRCORE-NS-Z3 zinc finger amino acid 30 Dm GAGA 729556 zinc finger amino acid 31 Dm ken 3550814 zinc finger amino acid 32 Hs ATBF-1976347 zinc finger amino acid 33 Hs KIAA0160 zinc finger amino acid 34 Hs ZNF142 3123312 zinc finger amino acid 35 Mm FOG 2252814 zinc finger amino acid 36 Mm Spalt 1296845 zinc finger amino acid 37 Rn Roaz 2149792 zinc finger amino acid 38 Xm ZF1532083 zinc finger amino acid