Plants Having Enhanced Yield-Related Traits and a Method for Making the Same

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for enhancing various economically important yield-related traits in plants by modulating expression in a plant of a nucleic acid encoding a PATL (PATELLIN) polypeptide, a PRP38 (Precursor RNA Processing factor 38) polypeptide, an ADA2 (Adaptor 2) polypeptide, a GATA-like polypeptide, or a WD40 repeat (WDR) 23-like polypeptide. The present invention also concerns plants having modulated expression of a nucleic acid encoding a PATL polypeptide, a PRP38 polypeptide, an ADA2 polypeptide, a GATA-like polypeptide, or a WDR23-like polypeptide, which plants have improved yield-related traits relative to corresponding wild type plants or other control plants. The invention also provides nucleic acids and constructs useful in the methods of the invention.

1 . A method for enhancing yield-related traits in plants relative to control plants, comprising modulating expression in a plant of a nucleic acid encoding:
 a) a PRP38 polypeptide,   b) an ADA2 polypeptide and optionally selecting for plants having enhanced yield-related traits,   c) a GATA-like polypeptide, wherein said GATA-like polypeptide belongs to subfamily II of GATA transcription factors and comprises a GATA domain, or   d) a WDR23-like polypeptide, which WDR23-like polypeptide comprises a domain having at least 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 98%, 99% or more sequence identity to a Conserved Domain (CD) comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 271, and optionally selecting for plants having increased yield-related traits.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said GATA-like polypeptide comprises one or more of the following motifs:
 (i) a Motif 1c comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 130;   (ii) a Motif 2c comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 131;   (iii) a Motif 3c comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 132.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said modulated expression is effected by introducing and expressing in a plant a nucleic acid encoding a PRP38 polypeptide, a nucleic acid encoding a GATA-like polypeptide, a nucleic acid encoding an ADA2 polypeptide, or a nucleic acid encoding a WDR23-like polypeptide. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said nucleic acid encoding a PRP38, ADA2, GATA-like or a WDR23-like polypeptide encodes any one of the proteins listed in Table A or is a portion of such a nucleic acid, or a nucleic acid capable of hybridizing with such a nucleic acid. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence encodes an orthologue or paralogue of any of the proteins given in Table A. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said enhanced yield-related traits comprise increased yield, thousand kernel weight, or seed yield relative to control plants. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said enhanced yield-related traits are obtained under conditions of nitrogen deficiency. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said enhanced yield-related traits are obtained non-stress conditions. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said nucleic acid is operably linked to a constitutive promoter, a GOS2 promoter, or a GOS2 promoter from rice. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said nucleic acid encoding GATA-like polypeptide is of plant origin, from a monocotyledonous plant, from a plant of the family Poaceae, from a plant of the genus  Oryza , or from an  Oryza sativa  plant. 
     
     
         11 . A plant obtained by the method of  claim 1 , or a part, seed or progeny thereof, wherein said plant, or said part, seed or progeny thereof, comprises a recombinant nucleic acid encoding a PRP38, ADA2, GATA-like or a WDR23-like polypeptide. 
     
     
         12 . A construct comprising:
 (i) a nucleic acid encoding a PRP38, ADA2, GATA-like or a WDR23-like polypeptide as defined in  claim 1 ;   (ii) one or more control sequences capable of driving expression of the nucleic acid of (i); and optionally   (iii) a transcription termination sequence.   
     
     
         13 . A method for making plants having increased yield, increased biomass and/or increased seed yield relative to control plants comprising transforming a plant cell, plant or part thereof with the construct of  claim 12 . 
     
     
         14 . A plant, plant part or plant cell transformed with the construct of  claim 12 . 
     
     
         15 . A method for the production of a transgenic plant having increased yield or increased seed yield relative to control plants, comprising:
 (i) introducing and expressing in a plant a nucleic acid encoding a PRP38, ADA2, GATA-like or a WDR23-like polypeptide as defined in  claim 1 ; and   (ii) cultivating the plant cell under conditions promoting plant growth and development; and optionally   (iii) selecting for plants having enhanced yield-related traits   
     
     
         16 . A transgenic plant having increased yield or increased seed yield relative to control plants, resulting from modulated expression of a nucleic acid encoding a PRP38, ADA2, GATA-like or a WDR23-like polypeptide as defined in  claim 1 , or a transgenic plant cell derived from said transgenic plant. 
     
     
         17 . The transgenic plant of  claim 16 , or a transgenic plant cell derived thereof, wherein said plant is a crop plant, a monocot, or a cereal, or wherein said plant is rice, maize, wheat, barley, millet, rye,  triticale , sorghum, or oats. 
     
     
         18 . Harvestable parts of the plant of  claim 16 , wherein said harvestable parts are shoot biomass and/or seeds. 
     
     
         19 . Products derived from the plant of  claim 16  and/or from harvestable parts of said plant.