# US 7,608,759 B2 · Scarecrow-like stress-related polypeptides and methods of use in plants > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,608,759 B2 - Document ID: US7608759B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/169,126 - Filed: 2008-07-08 - Published: 2009-01-29 - Granted: 2009-10-27 - Earliest claimed: 2004-10-20 - Assignees: BASF Plant Science GmbH - Inventors: Damian Allen; Lori V. Mills; Nocha van Thielen; Oswaldo da Costa e Silva - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7608759B2 ## CPC - C12N 15/8273: {for drought, cold, salt resistance} - C07K 14/415: from plants - C12N: MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA (microbiological testing media C12Q1/00) - C07K: PEPTIDES (peptides in foodstuffs A23; obtaining protein compositions for foodstuffs, working-up proteins for foodstuffs A23J; preparations for medicinal purposes A61K; peptides containing beta-lactam rings C07D; cyclic dipeptides not having in their molecule any other peptide link than those which form their ring, e.g. piperazine-2,5-diones, C07D; ergot alkaloids of the cyclic peptide type C07D519/02; macromolecular compounds having statistically distributed amino acid units in their molecules, i.e. when the preparation does not provide for a specific; but for a random sequence of the amino acid units, homopolyamides and block copolyamides derived from amino acids C08G69/00; macromolecular products derived from proteins C08H1/00; preparation of glue or gelatine C09H; single cell proteins, enzymes C12N; genetic engineering processes for obtaining peptides C12N15/00; compositions for measuring or testing processes involving enzymes C12Q; investigation or analysis of biological material G01N33/00) ## Abstract A transgenic plant transformed with an SLSRP coding nucleic acid, wherein expression of the nucleic acid sequence in the plant results in increased growth under water-limited conditions and/or increased tolerance to an environmental stress as compared to a wild type variety of the plant. Also provided are agricultural products, including seeds, produced by the transgenic plants. Also provided are isolated SLSRPs, and isolated SLSRP coding nucleic acids, and vectors and host cells containing the latter. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A transgenic plant transformed with a polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of: a) a polynucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide comprising amino acids 1 to 657 of SEQ ID NO:6; b) a polynucleotide sequence comprising nucleotides 1 to 2281 of SEQ ID NO:5; and c) a polynucleotide sequence comprising nucleotides 218 to 2191 of SEQ ID NO:5; wherein expression of the polynucleotide in the plant results in increased tolerance to drought stress, as compared to a wild type variety of the plant. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The transgenic plant of claim 1, wherein expression of the polynucleotide in the plant results in increased growth under water-limited conditions, as compared to a wild type variety of the plant. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The transgenic plant of claim 2, wherein the increased growth under water-limited conditions is due to the plant having increased Water Use Efficiency (WUE). ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The transgenic plant of claim 3, wherein the increased WUE is due to the plant having increased dry weight. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The transgenic plant of claim 1, further defined as a monocot. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The transgenic plant of claim 1, further defined as a dicot. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The transgenic plant of claim 1, wherein the plant is selected from the group consisting of maize, wheat, rye, oat, triticale, rice, barley, soybean, peanut, cotton, rapeseed, canola, manihot, pepper, sunflower, tagetes, solanaceous plants, potato, tobacco, eggplant, tomato, Vicia species, pea, alfalfa, coffee, cacao, tea, Salix species, oil palm, coconut, perennial grass, wheatgrass, canarygrass, bromegrass, wild rye grass, bluegrass, orchardgrass, salfoin, birdsfoot trefoil, alsike clover, red clover, and sweet clover. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The transgenic plant of claim 7, which is maize. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The transgenic plant of claim 7, which is soybean. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The transgenic plant of claim 7, which is cotton. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The transgenic plant of claim 7, which is rapeseed or canola. ### Claim 12 A transgenic seed which is true breeding for a polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of: a) a polynucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide comprising amino acids 1 to 657 of SEQ ID NO:6; b) a polynucleotide sequence comprising nucleotides 1 to 2281 of SEQ ID NO:5; and c) a polynucleotide sequence comprising nucleotides 218 to 2191 of SEQ ID NO:5; wherein a transgenic plant grown from said seed has increased tolerance to drought stress, as compared to a wild type variety of the plant. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The transgenic seed of claim 12, wherein the polynucleotide has the sequence encoding the polypeptide comprising amino acids 1 to 657 of SEQ ID NO:6. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The transgenic seed of claim 12, wherein the polynucleotide comprises nucleotides 1 to 2281 of SEQ ID NO:5. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The transgenic seed of claim 12, wherein the polynucleotide comprises nucleotides 218 to 2191 of SEQ ID NO:5. ### Claim 16 An isolated polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of: a) a polynucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide comprising amino acids 1 to 657 of SEQ ID NO:6; b) a polynucleotide sequence comprising nucleotides 1 to 2281 of SEQ ID NO:5; and c) a polynucleotide sequence comprising nucleotides 218 to 2191 of SEQ ID NO:5. ### Claim 17 A recombinant expression vector comprising a polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of: a) a polynucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide comprising amino acids 1 to 657 of SEQ ID NO:6; b) a polynucleotide sequence comprising nucleotides 1 to 2281 of SEQ ID NO:5; and c) a polynucleotide sequence comprising nucleotides 218 to 2191 of SEQ ID NO:5. ### Claim 18 A method of producing a drought-tolerant transgenic plant comprising the steps of: a) transforming a plant cell with an expression vector comprising a polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of: i) a polynucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide comprising amino acids 1 to 657 of SEQ ID NO:6; ii) a polynucleotide sequence comprising nucleotides 1 to 2281 of SEQ ID NO:5; and iii) a polynucleotide sequence comprising nucleotides 218 to 2191 of SEQ ID NO:5; and b) generating a transgenic plant from the transformed plant cell, wherein the transgenic plant expressing the polynucleotide is drought tolerant.