Plants with modified growth

Abstract

A process is provided for modifying growth or architecture of plants by altering the level or the functional level of a cell division controlling protein, preferably a cell-division controlling protein that binds or phosphorylates retinoblasoma-like proteins, more preferably a cyclin, particularly a D-type cyclin within cells of a plant. Also provided are chimeric genes comprising a transcribed DNA region encoding an RNA or a protein, which when expressed either increases or decreases the level or functional level of a cell-division controlling protein, and plant cells and plants expressing such chimeric genes.

1 . A process to obtain a plant which, when compared to a wild type plant, exhibits a phenotype selected from increased growth rate, increased number of flowers or increased seed yield per plant, said process comprising the step of transforming cells of said plant with a chimeric gene comprising the following operably linked DNA fragments: 
 a) a plant expressible promoter region;    b) a transcribed DNA region encoding a D-type cyclin, said D-type cyclin comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID No. 30; and    c) a 3′ end formation and polyadenylation signal functional in plant cells.    
     
     
         2 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein said transcribed DNA region comprises a nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID No. 29 from the nucleotide position 195 to the nucleotide position 1280.  
     
     
         3 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein said plant expressible promoter region is a CaMV35S promoter region.  
     
     
         4 . A chimeric gene comprising the following operably linked DNA fragments: 
 a) a plant expressible promoter region;    b) a transcribed DNA region encoding a D-type cyclin, said D-type cyclin comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID No. 30; and    c) a 3′ end formation and polyadenylation signal functional in plant cells.    
     
     
         5 . A plant cell comprising the chimeric gene of  claim 4 .  
     
     
         6 . A plant, consisting essentially of the plant cells of  claim 5 .  
     
     
         7 . The plant of  claim 6 , which is a greenhouse-grown plant.  
     
     
         8 . A seed of the plant of  claim 7 , said seed comprising the chimeric gene of  claim 4.