Plants having enhanced yield-related traits and a method for making the same

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to the field of molecular biology and concerns a method for increasing various plant yield-related traits by increasing expression in a plant of a nucleic acid sequence encoding a zinc finger (Znf) domain-containing A20/AN1 (Znf A20/AN1) polypeptide. The present invention also concerns plants having increased expression of a nucleic acid sequence encoding a Znf A20/AN1 polypeptide, which plants have increased yield-related traits relative to control plants. The invention also provides nucleic acid sequence, polypeptide sequence, and constructs useful in the methods of the invention.

1 . 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 encoding a zinc finger (Znf) domain-containing A20/AN1 (Znf A20/AN1) polypeptide and optionally selecting for a plant having enhanced yield-related traits relative to a control plant, wherein said Znf A20/AN1 polypeptide comprises (i) at least one A20-type zinc finger domain with an InterPro accession IPR002653 (ProSite accession PS51036); and (ii) at least one AN1-type zinc finger domain with an InterPro accession IPR000058 (ProSite accession PS51039). 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said Znf A20/AN1 polypeptide comprises:
 (a) a domain having at least 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 98%, 99% or more sequence identity to an A20-type zinc finger domain comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 338 or 339; and   (b) a domain having at least 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 98%, 99% or more sequence identity to an AN1-type zinc finger domain comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 340 or 341.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said Znf A20/AN1 polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 98%, 99% or more sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 213, SEQ ID NO: 215, or any of the polypeptides given in Table A3. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said increased expression is effected by T-DNA activation tagging, TILLING, or homologous recombination. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said increased expression is effected by introducing and expressing in the plant a nucleic acid encoding said Znf A20/AN1 polypeptide. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said nucleic acid comprises any of the nucleotide sequences given in Table A3 or a portion thereof, or a sequence capable of hybridizing with any of the nucleic acids given in Table A3. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said nucleic acid encodes an orthologue or paralogue of any of the polypeptides given in Table A3. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said enhanced yield-related traits comprise (i) increased early vigour, (ii) increased aboveground biomass, (iii) increased total seed yield per plant, (iv) increased number of filled seeds, (v) increased seed filling rate, and/or (v) increased harvest index. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said nucleic acid is operably linked to a constitutive promoter, a plant constitutive promoter, a GOS2 promoter, or a GOS2 promoter from rice comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 342. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said nucleic acid is of plant origin, from a dicotyledonous plant, from a plant of the family Brassicaceae or Fabaceae, or from an  Arabidopsis thaliana  or  Medicago truncatula  plant. 
     
     
         11 . A plant obtained by the method of  claim 1 , or a part, seed or progeny of said plant, wherein said plant, or said part, seed or progeny, comprises a recombinant nucleic acid encoding said Znf A20/AN1 polypeptide. 
     
     
         12 . A construct comprising:
 (a) a nucleic acid sequence encoding a Znf A20/AN1 polypeptide as defined in  claim 1 ;   (b) one or more control sequences capable of driving expression of the nucleic acid sequence of (a); and optionally   (c) a transcription termination sequence.   
     
     
         13 . The construct of  claim 12 , wherein one of said control sequences is a constitutive promoter, a GOS2 promoter, or a GOS2 promoter from rice. 
     
     
         14 . A method for making a plant having increased seed yield relative to a control plant, comprising transforming the construct of  claim 12  into a plant, plant cell or plant part. 
     
     
         15 . A plant, plant part or plant cell comprising the construct of  claim 12 . 
     
     
         16 . A method for the production of a transgenic plant having increased seed yield relative to a control plant, comprising:
 (a) introducing and expressing in a plant or plant cell a nucleic acid encoding a Znf A20/AN 1 polypeptide as defined in  claim 1 ;   (b) cultivating the plant or plant cell under conditions promoting plant growth and development; and optionally   (c) selecting for a plant having increased seed yield relative to a control plant.   
     
     
         17 . A transgenic plant having increased seed yield relative to s control plant resulting from increased expression of a nucleic acid encoding a Znf A20/AN1 polypeptide as defined in  claim 1 , or a transgenic plant cell obtained from said transgenic plant. 
     
     
         18 . The transgenic plant of  claim 17 , 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. 
     
     
         19 . Harvestable parts of the transgenic plant of  claim 17 , wherein said harvestable parts comprise a recombinant nucleic acid encoding said Znf A20/AN1 polypeptide. 
     
     
         20 . The harvestable parts of  claim 19 , wherein said harvestable parts are seeds.