Promoter, promoter control elements, and combinations, and use thereof

Abstract

The present invention is directed to promoter sequences and promoter control elements, polynucleotide constructs comprising the promoters and control elements, and methods of identifying the promoters, control elements, or fragments thereof. The invention further relates to the use of the present promoters or promoter control elements to modulate transcript levels in plants, and plants containing such promoters or promoter control elements.

1 . An isolated nucleic acid molecule having promoter activity comprising a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of:
 a) a nucleotide sequence according to any one of SEQ ID NOs. 1-26;   b) a nucleotide sequence of nucleic acid residues 601-1000 of SEQ ID NO: 26;   c) a nucleotide sequence comprising a functional fragment of (a) or (b), wherein said fragment has promoter activity,   and wherein said isolated nucleic acid molecule is not SEQ ID NO: 5.   
     
     
         2 . An isolated nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence that shows at least 80 percent sequence identity to any one of SEQ ID NOs. 1-26 or nucleic acid residues 601-1000 of SEQ ID NO: 26, wherein said nucleic acid molecule comprises a regulatory region that directs transcription of an operably linked heterologous polynucleotide, and wherein said isolated nucleic acid molecule is not SEQ ID NO: 5. 
     
     
         3 . The isolated nucleic acid molecule of  claim 2 , wherein said nucleotide sequence shows at least 85 percent sequence identity to any one of SEQ ID NOs: 1-26 or nucleic acid residues 601-1000 of SEQ ID NO: 26. 
     
     
         4 . The isolated nucleic acid molecule of  claim 2 , wherein said nucleotide sequence has at least 90 percent sequence identity to any one of SEQ ID NOs: 1-26 or nucleic acid residues 601-1000 of SEQ ID NO: 26. 
     
     
         5 . The isolated nucleic acid molecule according to  claim 1 , wherein said regulatory region comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of a promoter, an enhancer and an intron. 
     
     
         6 . An isolated nucleic acid molecule consisting of the nucleotide sequence according to any one of SEQ ID Nos. 1-4, 6-26 and the nucleic acid residues 601-1000 of SEQ ID NO: 26. 
     
     
         7 . A vector construct comprising:
 a) a first nucleic acid molecule according to  claim 1 ; and   b) a transcribable polynucleotide molecule,   wherein said first nucleic acid molecule and said transcribable polynucleotide molecule are heterologous to each other and are operably linked.   
     
     
         8 . The vector construct according to  claim 7 , wherein said first nucleic acid molecule consists of the nucleic acid molecule set forth in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 1-26 or nucleic acid residues 601-1000 of SEQ ID NO: 26. 
     
     
         9 . The vector construct according to  claim 7 , wherein said transcribable polynucleotide molecule encodes a polypeptide. 
     
     
         10 . The vector construct according to  claim 9 , wherein said transcribable polynucleotide molecule is operably linked to said first nucleic acid molecule in the sense orientation. 
     
     
         11 . The vector construct according to  claim 10 , wherein said transcribable polynucleotide molecule is transcribed into an RNA molecule that expresses the polypeptide encoded by transcribable polynucleotide molecule. 
     
     
         12 . The vector construct according to  claim 7 , wherein said transcribable polynucleotide second nucleic acid molecule is operably linked to said first nucleic acid molecule in the antisense orientation. 
     
     
         13 . The vector construct according to  claim 12 , wherein said transcribable polynucleotide molecule is transcribed into an antisense RNA molecule. 
     
     
         14 . The vector construct according to  claim 7 , wherein said transcribable polynucleotide molecule is transcribed into an interfering RNA against an endogenous gene. 
     
     
         15 . The vector construct according to  claim 9 , wherein said transcribable polynucleotide molecule encodes a polypeptide of agronomic interest. 
     
     
         16 . A plant or plant cell comprising:
 a) the nucleic acid molecule according to  claim 1  that is operably linked to a heterologous polynucleotide, or   b) the vector construct according to  claim 7 .   
     
     
         17 . A plant or plant cell stably transformed with the vector construct according to  claim 7 . 
     
     
         18 . A seed of a plant according to  claim 16 . 
     
     
         19 . A method of directing transcription by combining, in an environment suitable for transcription:
 a) a first nucleic acid molecule according to any  claim 1 ; and   b) a transcribable polynucleotide molecule;   wherein said first nucleic acid molecule and said transcribable polynucleotide molecule are heterologous to each other and operably linked.   
     
     
         20 . A method of expressing an exogenous coding region in a plant comprising:
 (a) transforming a plant cell with the vector of  claim 7 ;   (b) regenerating a stably transformed plant from the transformed plant cell of step (a); and   (c) selecting plants containing a transformed plant cell,   wherein expression of the transcribable polynucleotide molecule results in production of a polypeptide encoded by said transcribable polynucleotide molecule.   
     
     
         21 . A method of altering the expression of a gene in a plant comprising:
 a) transforming a plant cell with the nucleic acid molecule according to  claim 1  that is operably linked to a heterologous polynucleotide, and   b) regenerating stably transformed plants from said transformed plant cell.   
     
     
         22 . A plant prepared according to the method of  claim 20 . 
     
     
         23 . Seed from the plant according to  claim 22 . 
     
     
         24 . A method of producing a transgenic plant, said method comprising:
 (a) introducing into a plant cell:
 (i) an isolated polynucleotide comprising the nucleic acid according to  claim 1  that is operably linked to a heterologous polynucleotide, or 
 (ii) the vector according to  claim 7 ; and 
   (b) growing a plant from said plant cell.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein said heterologous polynucleotide comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein said heterologous polynucleotide is operably linked to said regulatory region in the antisense orientation. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein said heterologous polynucleotide is transcribed into an interfering RNA.