Salt tolerant organisms

Abstract

Disclosed herein are transformed non-vascular photosynthetic organisms that are salt tolerant, nucleotides and vectors useful in conducting such transformations, and transformed strains produced by such transformations.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A non-vascular photosynthetic organism comprising at least one mutation in a nucleotide sequence of any one of SEQ ID NO. 115, SEQ ID NO. 116, SEQ ID NO. 122, SEQ ID NO. 201, SEQ ID NO. 129, SEQ ID NO. 202, SEQ ID NO. 206, SEQ ID NO. 133, SEQ ID NO. 198, SEQ ID NO. 200, SEQ ID NO. 204, SEQ ID NO. 203, SEQ ID NO. 135, SEQ ID NO. 134, SEQ ID NO. 166, SEQ ID NO. 162, SEQ ID NO. 169, SEQ ID NO. 168, SEQ ID NO. 170, SEQ ID NO. 175, SEQ ID NO. 127, SEQ ID NO. 230, SEQ ID NO. 231, SEQ ID NO. 233 and SEQ ID NO. 234 or a sequence having at least 95% identity thereto; wherein said at least one mutation comprises one or more nucleotide additions, deletions or substitutions; and wherein said non-vascular photosynthetic organism has an increased growth rate in an aqueous environment containing between about 75 mM and 275 mM sodium chloride as compared to the organism without said at least one mutation. 
     
     
         2 . The non-vascular photosynthetic organism of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one mutation is in a coding region or a regulatory region. 
     
     
         3 . The non-vascular photosynthetic organism of  claim 2 , wherein said at least one mutation is in a 5′ UTR, a 3′-UTR, or a promoter. 
     
     
         4 . The non-vascular photosynthetic organism of  claim 2 , wherein activity of a protein encoded by said nucleotide sequence is decreased by said at least one mutation by at least 10% as compared to the non-vascular photosynthetic organism without said at least one mutation. 
     
     
         5 . The non-vascular photosynthetic organism of  claim 4 , wherein said activity is decreased by at least 20%. 
     
     
         6 . The non-vascular photosynthetic organism of  claim 4 , wherein said activity is decreased by at least 50%. 
     
     
         7 . The non-vascular photosynthetic organism of  claim 4 , wherein said activity is decreased by at least 70%. 
     
     
         8 . The non-vascular photosynthetic organism of  claim 4 , wherein said activity is decreased by 100%. 
     
     
         9 . The non-vascular photosynthetic organism of  claim 1 , wherein the growth rate of said non-vascular photosynthetic organism is at least 10% greater than said non-vascular photosynthetic organism without said at least one mutation. 
     
     
         10 . The non-vascular photosynthetic organism of  claim 1 , wherein the growth rate of said non-vascular photosynthetic organism is at least 20% greater than said non-vascular photosynthetic organism without said at least one mutation. 
     
     
         11 . The non-vascular photosynthetic organism of  claim 1 , wherein the growth rate of said non-vascular photosynthetic organism is at least 60% greater than said non-vascular photosynthetic organism without said at least one mutation. 
     
     
         12 . The non-vascular photosynthetic organism of  claim 1 , wherein the growth rate of said non-vascular photosynthetic organism is at least 100% greater than said non-vascular photosynthetic organism without said at least one mutation. 
     
     
         13 . The non-vascular photosynthetic organism of  claim 1 , wherein the growth rate of said non-vascular photosynthetic organism is at least 200% greater than said non-vascular photosynthetic organism without said at least one mutation. 
     
     
         14 . The non-vascular photosynthetic organism of  claim 1 , wherein the growth rate of said non-vascular photosynthetic organism is at least 300% greater than said non-vascular photosynthetic organism without said at least one mutation. 
     
     
         15 . The non-vascular photosynthetic organism of  claim 1 , wherein the growth rate of said non-vascular photosynthetic organism is at least 400% greater than said non-vascular photosynthetic organism without said at least one mutation. 
     
     
         16 . The non-vascular photosynthetic organism of  claim 1 , wherein the growth rate of said non-vascular photosynthetic organism is at least 500% greater than said non-vascular photosynthetic organism without said at least one mutation. 
     
     
         17 . The non-vascular photosynthetic organism of  claim 1 , wherein said non-vascular photosynthetic organism is an alga or a cyanobacterium. 
     
     
         18 . The non-vascular photosynthetic organism of  claim 17 , wherein said alga is at least one of  Chlamydomonas  sp,  Volvacales  sp,  Dunaliella  sp.  Scenedesmus  sp.  Chlorella  sp,  Hemalococcus  sp.,  Volvox  sp, or  Nannochloropsis  sp. 
     
     
         19 . The non-vascular photosynthetic organism of  claim 1 , wherein said concentration of sodium chloride in said aqueous environment is between 75 mM and 175 mM. 
     
     
         20 . The non-vascular photosynthetic organism of  claim 1 , wherein said concentration of sodium chloride in said aqueous environment is between 150 mM and 275 mM.