Novel herbicide resistance gene

Abstract

The subject invention provides novel polynucleotides and polypeptides encoding a methyltransferase. The subject invention provides novel plants that express the methyltransferase disclosed herein and are resistant to auxin-based herbicides. The subject invention also provides transgenic plants have been transformed with one or more other herbicide resistance genes such that the plants are resistant to the application of auxin-based herbicides and one or more other herbicides.

We claim: 
     
         1 . An composition of matter comprising:
 a) an isolated polynucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2 or a polypeptide fragment of SEQ ID NO: 2, said polypeptide or fragment having methyltransferase activity and/or the ability to confer resistance in a plant to an auxin-based herbicide;   b) an isolated polynucleotide sequence of at least 8 consecutive nucleotides of a polynucleotide sequence as set forth in (a);   c) a genetic construct comprising a polynucleotide sequence as set forth in (a);   d) a vector comprising a polynucleotide or genetic construct as set forth in (a) or (c);   e) a host cell comprising a a polynucleotide as set forth in (a); or   f) an isolated polypeptide, said polypeptide having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2 or a fragment of SEQ ID NO: 2 having methyltransferase activity and/or the ability to confer resistance in a plant to an auxin-based herbicide.   
     
     
         2 . The composition of matter according to  claim 1 , wherein said composition of matter comprises an isolated polynucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2 or a polypeptide fragment of SEQ NO: 2, said polypeptide or fragment having methyltransferase activity and/or the ability to confer resistance in a plant to an auxin-based herbicide. 
     
     
         3 . The composition of matter according to  claim 1 , wherein said composition of matter comprises an isolated polynucleotide sequence of at least 8 consecutive nucleotides of a polynucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2 or a polypeptide fragment of SEQ ID NO: 2, said polypeptide or fragment having methyltransferase activity and/or the ability to confer resistance in a plant to an auxin-based herbicide. 
     
     
         4 . The composition of matter according to  claim 1 , wherein said composition of matter comprises a genetic construct comprising a polynucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2 or a polypeptide fragment of SEQ ID NO: 2, said polypeptide or fragment having methyltransferase activity and/or the ability to confer resistance in a plant to an auxin-based herbicide. 
     
     
         5 . The composition of matter according to  claim 1 , wherein said composition of matter comprises a vector comprising a polynucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2 or a polypeptide fragment of SEQ ID NO: 2, said polypeptide or fragment having methyltransferase activity and/or the ability to confer resistance in a plant to an auxin-based herbicide. 
     
     
         6 . The composition of matter according to  claim 1 , wherein said composition of matter comprises a vector comprising a genetic construct comprising a polynucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2 or a polypeptide fragment of SEQ ID NO: 2, said polypeptide or fragment having methyltransferase activity and/or the ability to confer resistance in a plant to an auxin-based herbicide. 
     
     
         7 . The composition of matter according to  claim 1 , wherein said composition of matter comprises a host cell comprising a polynucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2 or a polypeptide fragment of SEQ ID NO: 2, said polypeptide or fragment having methyltransferase activity and/or the ability to confer resistance in a plant to an auxin-based herbicide. 
     
     
         8 . The composition of matter according to  claim 1 , wherein said composition of matter comprises an isolated polypeptide, said polypeptide having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2 or a fragment of SEQ ID NO: 2 having methyltransferase, activity and/or the ability to confer resistance in a plant to an auxin-based herbicide. 
     
     
         9 . The composition of matter according to  claim 5 , wherein said vector comprises a promoter operably linked to a polynucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2 or a polypeptide fragment of SEQ ID NO: 2, said polypeptide or fragment having methyltransferase activity and/or the ability to confer resistance in a plant to an auxin-based herbicide. 
     
     
         10 . The vector of  claim 9 , wherein said promoter is a plant promoter. 
     
     
         11 . The vector of  claim 9 , comprising a promoter selected from a cassava vein mosaic virus promoter, CaMV 35S promoter, Figwort Mosaic Virus promoter, rice actin promoter, phaseolin promoter,  Arabidopsis thaliana  Ubiquitin 10 promoter, maize ubiquitin promoter,  Arabidopsis thaliana  Act2 promoter,  Arabidopsis thaliana  Ubiquitin 11 promoter, and  Arabidopsis thaliana  Ubiquitin 3 promoter.