Method for plant improvement using a transgene containing the betl9 promoter driving expression of the mrp1 protein

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of plant improvement, in particular of the improvement of yield for plants, by using a transgene containing the BETL9 promoter driving expression of the MRP1 protein.

1 . An expression cassette comprising a nucleic acid molecule comprising a promoter as set forth in SEQ ID NO:1 (BETL9 promoter), operatively linked to a nucleic acid coding for a protein as set forth in SEQ ID NO:2 (MRP1 protein). 
     
     
         2 . A vector containing the expression cassette of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         3 . A host cell containing the expression cassette of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         4 . The host cell of  claim 3 , wherein said expression cassette is stably integrated within the genome of said host cell. 
     
     
         5 . A plant containing at least one cell according to  claim 3 . 
     
     
         6 . The plant of  claim 5 , which is a cereal. 
     
     
         7 . The plant of  claim 6 , which is selected from the group consisting of maize, wheat, barley and rice. 
     
     
         8 . A method for obtaining a transgenic plant, the method comprising the steps:
 a. transforming at least a plant cell or plant tissue with a vector containing the expression cassette of  claim 1 ; and   b. cultivating the cell(s) or plant tissue thus transformed so as to generate a transgenic plant containing at least a cell which contains, in its genome, at least the expression cassette of  claim 1 .   
     
     
         9 . A method for obtaining a plant containing a transgene, wherein said transgene comprises the expression cassette of  claim 1 , the method comprising the steps of
 a. performing the method of  claim 8  in order to obtain a transgenic plant, wherein the transgene comprises an expression cassette comprising a nucleic acid molecule comprising the BETL9 promoter as set forth in SEQ ID NO:1, operatively linked to a nucleic acid coding for the MRP1 protein as set forth in SEQ ID NO:2,   b. crossing said transgenic plant with a plant line which does not contain said transgene (the receiver plant line),   c. selecting, among the progeny, plants that contain said transgene and that have more molecular markers from the receiver plant line than from the parent containing the transgene,   d. back-crossing said selected plants with said receiver plant line,   e. repeating steps c) and d) if necessary until a line isogenic with said receiving line (and containing said transgene) is obtained,   f. optionally, performing self-fertilization in order to obtain a plant homozygotic for said transgene.   
     
     
         10 - 16 . (canceled)