Transgenic Plants Comprising as Transgene a Class I TCP or Clavata 1 (CLV1) or CAH3 Polypeptide Having Increased Seed Yield and a Method for Making the Same

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to the field of molecular biology and concerns a method for enhancing various economically important yield-related traits in plants. More specifically, the present invention concerns a method for enhancing various economically important yield-related traits in plants relative to control plants, by increasing expression in a plant of a nucleic acid sequence encoding a Yield-Enhancing Polypeptide (YEP). The YEP may be a Class I TCP or a CAH3 or a Clavata1 (CLV1) polypeptide with a non-functional C-terminal domain. The present invention also concerns plants having increased expression of a nucleic acid sequence encoding a YEP, which plants have enhanced yield-related traits in plants relative to control plants. The invention also provides constructs useful in the methods of the invention.

1 . A method for enhancing seed yield-related traits in a plant relative to a control plant, comprising modulating expression in a plant of a nucleic acid encoding a CAH3 protein. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the CAH3 protein comprises any one or more of the motifs of SEQ ID NO: 203, SEQ ID NO: 204, and SEQ ID NO: 205. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the nucleic acid encoding a CAH3 protein is any one of the nucleic acid sequences provided in Table B or a portion thereof, or a sequence capable of hybridizing with any one of the nucleic acid sequences provided in Table B. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the modulated expression is effected by introducing and expressing in a plant a nucleic acid encoding a CAH3 protein, and wherein said CAH3 protein comprises any one or more of the motifs of SEQ ID NO: 203, SEQ ID NO: 204, and SEQ ID NO: 205. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the enhanced yield-related trait is increased seed yield. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the nucleic acid is operably linked to a green tissue-specific promoter. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the nucleic acid encoding a CAH3 protein is of plant origin. 
     
     
         8 . A plant or part thereof including seeds obtained by the method of  claim 1 , or a progeny of said plant, wherein said plant or part thereof, or said progeny, comprises a recombinant nucleic acid encoding a CAH3 protein. 
     
     
         9 . A method for enhancing yield-related traits in a plant relative to a control plant, comprising increasing expression in a plant of a nucleic acid sequence encoding a Clavata1 (CLV1) polypeptide with a non-functional C-terminal domain, and optionally selecting for plants having enhanced yield-related traits. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the increased expression is effected by introducing and expressing in a plant a nucleic acid sequence encoding a CLV1 polypeptide with a non-functional C-terminal domain. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the enhanced yield-related trait is one or more of the following: (i) increased aboveground biomass; (ii) increased root biomass; (iii) increased thin root biomass; (iv) increased number of primary panicles; (v) increased number of flowers per panicle; (vi) increased total seed yield; (vii) increased number of filled seeds; (viii) increased total number of seeds; and (ix) increased harvest index. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the nucleic acid sequence encoding a CLV1 polypeptide with a non-functional C-terminal domain is operably linked to a promoter for expression in young expanding tissues. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the nucleic acid sequence encoding a CLV1 polypeptide with a non-functional C-terminal domain is of plant origin. 
     
     
         14 . A plant or part thereof including seeds obtained by the method of  claim 9 , or a progeny of said plant, wherein said plant or part thereof, or said progeny, comprises a nucleic acid transgene encoding a CLV1 polypeptide with a non-functional C-terminal. 
     
     
         15 . A construct comprising:
 (a) a nucleic acid encoding:
 (i) a CAH3 protein comprising any one or more of the motifs of SEQ ID NO: 203, SEQ ID NO: 204, and SEQ ID NO: 205; or 
 (ii) a CLV1 polypeptide with a non-functional C-terminal domain; 
   (b) one or more control sequences capable of driving expression of the nucleic acid of (a); and optionally   (c) a transcription termination sequence.   
     
     
         16 . The construct of  claim 15 , wherein the nucleic acid encodes a CAH3 protein comprising any one or more of the motifs of SEQ ID NO: 203, SEQ ID NO: 204, and SEQ ID NO: 205, and wherein the one or more control sequences comprise at least a green tissue-specific promoter. 
     
     
         17 . The construct of  claim 15 , wherein the nucleic acid encodes a CLV1 polypeptide with a non-functional C-terminal domain, and wherein the one or more control sequences comprise at least a tissue-specific promoter. 
     
     
         18 . A plant, plant part or plant cell transformed with the construct of  claim 15 . 
     
     
         19 . A method for the production of a transgenic plant or part thereof having enhanced yield-related traits relative to a control plant, comprising:
 (a) introducing and expressing in a plant or plant cell a nucleic acid encoding:
 (i) a CAH3 protein, wherein said CAH3 protein comprises any one or more of the motifs of SEQ ID NO: 203, SEQ ID NO: 204, and SEQ ID NO: 205; or 
 (ii) a CLV1 polypeptide with a non-functional C-terminal domain, or a variant thereof; and 
   (b) cultivating the plant or plant cell under conditions promoting plant growth and development.   
     
     
         20 . A transgenic plant having increased yield relative to a control plant produced by the method of  claim 19 , wherein said increased yield is resulted from increased expression of the nucleic acid, or a transgenic plant cell or progeny derived from said transgenic plant. 
     
     
         21 . The transgenic plant of  claim 8 , wherein the plant is a crop plant or a monocot or a cereal, or a transgenic plant cell or progeny derived from said transgenic plant. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the enhanced yield-related trait is increased seed yield and/or increased aboveground area relative to control plants. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising obtaining a plant cell or progeny, wherein the plant cell or progeny comprise the isolated nucleic acid. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising obtaining a plant cell or progeny, wherein the plant cell or progeny comprise the isolated nucleic acid. 
     
     
         25 . A method of selecting a plant having increased seed yield or having an enhanced yield-related trait relative to control plants, comprising utilizing:
 (a) a nucleic acid encoding a CAH3 protein or a CAH3 protein; or   (b) a nucleic acid encoding a CLV1 polypeptide with a non-functional C-terminal domain or a CLV1 polypeptide with a non-functional C-terminal domain,   as a molecular marker.