Plant height regulatory gene and uses thereof

Abstract

Provided are a crop height regulatory gene from Arabidopsis thaliana , expression regulatory sequences thereof and uses thereof. The crop regulatory gene can be used to regulate the plant height, volume, tiller, yield, flower organ size, or seed size of crops.

1 .- 19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . A method for increasing flower organ size, seed size, plant height, or plant volume of a crop, comprising reducing the level of an mRNA in the crop, wherein the mRNA is encoded by a polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of:
 (a) a polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide having the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:3;   (b) a polynucleotide encoding a variant of the polypeptide of (a), comprising substitution, deletion, or addition of 1-50 amino acid residues in the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:3;   (c) the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2; and   (d) the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1;   wherein the reducing the level of the mRNA is selected from the group consisting of knocking out any one of the polynucleotide of (a)-(d), expressing an RNAi construct comprising a fragment of any one of the polynucleotide of (a)-(d), expressing an antisense construct comprising a fragment of any one of the polynucleotide of (a)-(d) in an antisense orientation, and any combination thereof.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the polynucleotide encodes the polypeptide having the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:3. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the polynucleotide comprises the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein said polynucleotide comprises the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:2. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the reducing the level of the mRNA is by knocking out any one of the polynucleotide of (a)-(d). 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the reducing the level of the mRNA is by expressing an RNAi construct comprising a fragment of any one of the polynucleotide of (a)-(d). 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the reducing the level of the mRNA is by expressing an antisense construct comprising a fragment of any one of the polynucleotide of (a)-(d) in an antisense orientation. 
     
     
         27 . A method of producing a plant, wherein said method comprises the following steps:
 (1) providing  Agrobacterium  carrying an RNAi construct comprising a fragment of a polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of:
 (a) a polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide having the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:3, 
 (b) a polynucleotide encoding a variant of the polypeptide of (a), comprising substitution, deletion, or addition of 1-50 amino acid residues in the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:3, 
 (c) the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2, and 
 (d) the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1, 
 wherein expression of the RNAi construct reduces the level of mRNA encoded by any one of the polynucleotide of (a)-(d), so as to increase flower organ size, seed size, plant height, or plant volume of the plant; 
   (2) contacting a cell, tissue, or organ of the plant with the  Agrobacterium  described in step (1), to introduce the RNAi construct into the cell, tissue, or organ and allow the RNAi construct to integrate into a chromosome of the cell, tissue, or organ;   (3) selecting the cell, tissue, or organ of the plant containing the RNAi construct; and   (4) allowing the cell, tissue, or organ of the plant described in step (3) to regenerate a new plant.   
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , further comprising: crossbreeding the new plant with a non-transgenic plant, thereby obtaining a hybrid offspring containing the polynucleotide. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the polynucleotide encodes the polypeptide having the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:3. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the polynucleotide comprises the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein said polynucleotide comprises the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:2. 
     
     
         32 . A transgenic plant prepared by the method of  claim 27 . 
     
     
         33 . The transgenic plant of  claim 32 , wherein the plant is one selected from the group consisting of a Gramineae plant, a Cruciferae plant, and a xylophyta plant. 
     
     
         34 . The transgenic plant of  claim 32 , wherein the plant is selected from the group consisting of soybean, corn (maize), cotton, canola, sugar beet, alfalfa, rice, wheat, barley, rye, sorghum, sugarcane, sunflower, oilseed rape, and vegetables.