TRANSGENIC PLANTS EXPRESSING A pH-SENSITIVE NITRATE TRANSPORTER

Abstract

The invention relates to transgenic plants with improved growth and nitrogen use efficiency expressing nitrate transporter gene, methods of making such plants and methods for improving growth and nitrogen use efficiency.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for increasing growth, yield, nitrogen use efficiency, nitrogen transport, nitrogen stress tolerance, pathogen resistance, survival and/or nitrogen acquisition of a plant comprising introducing and expressing a nucleic acid construct comprising a nucleic acid sequence as defined in SEQ ID No. 1, a functional variant or homolog thereof operably linked to a regulatory sequence in a plant wherein if the nucleic acid sequence is as defined in SEQ ID No. 1, said plant is not rice. 
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said regulatory sequence is a constitutive or strong promoter directing overexpression of said nucleic acid. 
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 2 , wherein said constitutive or strong promoter is selected from CaMV-35S, CaMV-35Somega,  Arabidopsis  ubiquitin UBQ1. 
     
     
         4 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said regulatory sequence is a phloem specific promoter. 
     
     
         5 . A method according to  claim 4 , wherein said phloem specific promoter comprises a nucleic acid comprising SEQ ID No. 5. 
     
     
         6 . A method for making a transgenic plant having increased growth, yield, nitrogen transport, nitrogen acquisition, nitrogen stress tolerance and/or nitrogen use efficiency comprising
 a) introducing and expressing in a plant or plant cell a nucleic acid construct comprising a nucleic acid sequence as defined in SEQ ID No. 1, a functional variant or homolog thereof operably linked to a regulatory sequence wherein if the nucleic acid sequence is as defined in SEQ ID No. 1, said plant is not rice.   
     
     
         7 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said plant is a crop plant or a biofuel plant. 
     
     
         8 . A method according to  claim 7 , wherein said crop plant is selected from maize, wheat, tobacco, oilseed rape, sorghum, soybean, potato, tomato, grape, barley, pea, bean, field bean, lettuce, cotton, sugar cane, sugar beet, broccoli or other vegetable brassicas or poplar. 
     
     
         9 . A method according to  claim 7 , wherein said plant is maize or soybean. 
     
     
         10 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said plant is maize or soybean said homolog is from maize or soybean. 
     
     
         11 . A plant obtained or obtainable from a method as defined in  claims 10 . 
     
     
         12 . A transgenic plant expressing a nucleic acid construct comprising a nucleic acid sequence as defined in SEQ ID No. 1, a functional variant or homolog thereof operably linked to a regulatory sequence if the nucleic acid sequence is as defined in SEQ ID No. 1, said plant is not rice. 
     
     
         13 . A plant according to  claim 12 , wherein said regulatory sequence is a constitutive or strong promoter directing overexpression of said nucleic acid. 
     
     
         14 . A plant according to  claim 13 , wherein said constitutive promoter or strong promoter is selected from CaMV-35S, CaMV-35Somega,  Arabidopsis  ubiquitin UBQ1. 
     
     
         15 . A plant according to any of  claims 12 , wherein said regulatory sequence is a phloem specific promoter. 
     
     
         16 . A plant according to  claim 15 , wherein said phloem specific promoter comprises a nucleic acid comprising SEQ ID No. 5. 
     
     
         17 . A plant according to  claim 12 , wherein said plant is a crop plant a biofuel plant. 
     
     
         18 . A plant according to  claim 17 , wherein said crop plant is selected from maize, wheat, oilseed rape, tobacco, sorghum, soybean, potato, tomato, grape, barley, pea, bean, field bean, lettuce, cotton, sugar cane, sugar beet, broccoli or other vegetable brassicas or poplar. 
     
     
         19 . A plant according to  claim 12 , wherein said plant is maize or soybean. 
     
     
         20 . A plant according to  claim 12 , wherein said plant is maize or soybean said homolog is from maize or soybean. 
     
     
         21 . A method for regulating pH homeostasis or reducing/altering acidification in a plant comprising introducing and expressing a nucleic acid construct comprising a nucleic acid sequence comprising SEQ ID No. 1, a functional variant or homolog thereof operably linked to a regulatory sequence in a plant. 
     
     
         22 . A method according to  claim 21 , wherein said crop plant is selected from maize, wheat, tobacco, oilseed rape, sorghum, soybean, potato, tomato, grape, barley, pea, bean, field bean, lettuce, cotton, sugar cane, sugar beet, broccoli or other vegetable brassicas or poplar. 
     
     
         23 . A method according to  claim 21 , wherein said plant is maize or soybean. 
     
     
         24 . A method according to  claim 21 , said plant is maize or soybean and wherein said homolog is from maize or soybean 
     
     
         25 . A method according to  claim 21 , wherein said regulatory sequence is a constitutive or strong promoter directing overexpression of said nucleic acid. 
     
     
         26 . A method according to  claim 21 , said regulatory sequence is a constitutive or strong promoter selected from CaMV-35S, CaMV-35Somega,  Arabidopsis  ubiquitin UBQ1. 
     
     
         27 . A method according to  claim 21 , wherein said regulatory sequence is a phloem specific promoter. 
     
     
         28 . A method according to  claim 21 , wherein said regulatory sequence is a phloem specific promoter comprising a nucleic acid comprising SEQ ID No. 5.