Nitrate transport components

Abstract

This invention relates to isolated nucleic acid fragments encoding high affinity nitrate transport components. The invention also relates to the construction of recombinant DNA constructs encoding all or a portion of nitrate transport components, in sense or antisense orientation, wherein expression of the recombinant DNA construct may alter levels of the nitrate transport components in a transformed host cell.

1 . An isolated polynucleotide comprising:
 (a) a nucleotide sequence encoding a high affinity nitrate transporter polypeptide, wherein the polypeptide has an amino acid sequence of at least 90% sequence identity, based on the Clustal V method of alignment, when compared to SEQ ID NO: 92; or   (b) a complement of the nucleotide sequence, wherein the complement and the nucleotide sequence consist of the same number of nucleotides and are 100% complementary.   
     
     
         2 - 3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . The polynucleotide of  claim 1 , wherein the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide has at least 95% sequence identity, based on the Clustal V method of alignment, when compared to SEQ ID NO: 92. 
     
     
         5 . The polynucleotide of  claim 1 , wherein the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide has at least 99% sequence identity, based on the Clustal V method of alignment, when compared to SEQ ID NO: 92. 
     
     
         6 . The polynucleotide of  claim 1 , wherein the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide comprises one of SEQ ID NO: 92. 
     
     
         7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . The isolated polynucleotide of  claim 1 , wherein the polypeptide sequence comprises at least two motifs selected from group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 50, 51 and 52. 
     
     
         9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . A recombinant DNA construct comprising ai the isolated polynucleotide of  claim 1 , the polynucleotide operably linked to at least one regulatory sequence. 
     
     
         11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . A plant comprising in its genome the recombinant DNA construct of  claim 10 . 
     
     
         13 . A transgenic seed obtained from the plant of  claim 12 . 
     
     
         14 . The plant of  claim 12 , wherein said plant is selected from the group consisting of rice, corn, sorghum, millet, rye, soybean, canola, wheat, barley, oat, beans, and nuts. 
     
     
         15 . A plant cell comprising in its genome the recombinant DNA construct of  claim 10 . 
     
     
         16 . Plant tissue comprising the plant cell of  claim 15 . 
     
     
         17 - 34 . (canceled) 
     
     
         35 . A method of increasing nitrogen transport in a plant, the method comprising expressing a recombinant nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide comprising a sequence of at least 90% sequence identity, based on the Clustal V method of alignment, when compared to SEQ ID NOs: 92; and growing the plant. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein the polypeptide sequence comprises at least two motifs selected from group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 50, 51 and 52. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 35 , further comprising expressing at least one additional recombinant DNA construct comprising an isolated polynucleotide encoding a NAR polypeptide, operably linked to at least one regulatory sequence. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein the plant is selected from the group consisting of rice, corn, sorghum, millet, rye, soybean, canola, wheat, barley, oat, beans, and nuts.