Expression of Microbial Proteins in Plants for Production of Plants with Improved Properties

Abstract

Recombinant constructs and methods useful for improvement of plants are provided. In particular, recombinant constructs comprising promoters functional in plant cells positioned for expression of polynucleotides encoding polypeptides from microbial sources are provided. The disclosed constructs and methods find use in production of transgenic plants to provide plants, particularly crop plants, having improved properties.

1 . A recombinant DNA construct comprising a heterologous promoter functional in a plant cell, wherein said heterologous promoter is positioned to provide for expression of a polynucleotide encoding an isopentenyl transferase polypeptide, and wherein said polynucleotide is selected from the group consisting of:
 (a) a polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to a reference nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 35042, 38138, 38549, 38954, 38968 and 38969;   (b) a polynucleotide encoding an isopentenyl transferase polypeptide having an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to an isopentenyl transferase polypeptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 11355, 14451, 14862, 15267, 15281, 15282, and 23687; and   (c) a polynucleotide encoding an isopentenyl transferase polypeptide that is a functional homolog of an isopentenyl transferase polypeptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 11355, 14451, 14862, 15267, 15281, 15282, and 23687.   
     
     
         2 . A transgenic plant comprising a recombinant DNA construct, wherein said construct comprises a heterologous promoter functional in a plant cell, wherein said heterologous promoter is positioned to provide for expression of a polynucleotide encoding an isopentenyl transferase polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:
 (a) a polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to a reference nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 35042, 38138, 38549, 38954, 38968 and 38969;   (b) a polynucleotide encoding an isopentenyl transferase polypeptide having an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to a reference amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 11355, 14451, 14862, 15267, 15281, 15282, and 23687; and   (c) a polynucleotide encoding an isopentenyl transferase polypeptide that is a functional homolog of an isopentenyl transferase polypeptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 11355, 14451, 14862, 15267, 15281, 15282, and 23687.   
     
     
         3 . The transgenic plant according to  claim 2 , wherein said plant is a crop plant. 
     
     
         4 . The transgenic plant according to  claim 3 , wherein said crop plant is a maize plant. 
     
     
         5 . The transgenic plant according to  claim 3 , wherein said crop plant is a soybean plant. 
     
     
         6 - 16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . The transgenic plant according to  claim 2 , wherein said plant is a soybean, a cotton, a canola, a wheat, a sunflower, a sorghum, an alfalfa, a barley, a millet, a rice, a tobacco, a fruit, a vegetable, or a turf grass plant. 
     
     
         18 . The transgenic plant according to  claim 2 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence has at least 95% sequence identity to a reference nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 35042, 38138, 38549, 38954, 38968 and 38969. 
     
     
         19 . The transgenic plant according to  claim 18 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence has least 98% sequence identity to a reference nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 35042, 38138, 38549, 38954, 38968 and 38969. 
     
     
         20 . The transgenic plant according to  claim 19 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence has at least 99% sequence identity to a reference nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 35042, 38138, 38549, 38954, 38968 and 38969. 
     
     
         21 . The transgenic plant according to  claim 20 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 35042, 38138, 38549, 38954, 38968 and 38969. 
     
     
         22 . The transgenic plant according to  claim 2 , wherein said amino acid sequence has at least 95% sequence identity to a reference amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 11355, 14451, 14862, 15267, 15281, 15282, and 23687. 
     
     
         23 . The transgenic plant according to  claim 22 , wherein said amino acid sequence has at least 98% sequence identity to a reference amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 11355, 14451, 14862, 15267, 15281, 15282, and 23687. 
     
     
         24 . The transgenic plant according to  claim 23 , wherein said amino acid sequence has at least 99% sequence identity to a reference amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 11355, 14451, 14862, 15267, 15281, 15282, and 23687. 
     
     
         25 . The transgenic plant according to  claim 24 , wherein said amino acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 11355, 14451, 14862, 15267, 15281, 15282, and 23687. 
     
     
         26 . The transgenic plant according to  claim 2 , wherein said functional homolog comprises at least 50 consecutive amino acids having at least 80% identity to a 50 amino acid isopentenyl transferase polypeptide fragment of a reference sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 11355, 14451, 14862, 15267, 15281, 15282, and 23687. 
     
     
         27 . The transgenic plant according to  claim 2 , wherein said polynucleotide further encodes a transit peptide for targeting to a plastid. 
     
     
         28 . A method of producing a transgenic plant having an improved property, wherein said method comprises transforming a plant with a recombinant construct comprising a heterologous promoter functional in a plant cell operably linked to provide for expression of a polynucleotide associated with said improved property, and growing said transformed plant, wherein said polynucleotide is selected from the group consisting of:
 (a) a polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to a reference nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 35042, 38138, 38549, 38954, 38968 and 38969;   (b) a polynucleotide encoding an isopentenyl transferase polypeptide having an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to a reference amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 11355, 14451, 14862, 15267, 15281, 15282, and 23687; and   (c) a polynucleotide encoding an isopentenyl transferase polypeptide that is a functional homolog of an isopentenyl transferase polypeptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 11355, 14451, 14862, 15267, 15281, 15282, and 23687.   
     
     
         29 . The method according to  claim 28 , wherein said improved property is selected from the group consisting of cold tolerance, disease control, drought tolerance, plant growth, heat tolerance, herbicide tolerance, osmotic tolerance, pathogen tolerance, pest tolerance, increased seed oil yield, increased seed protein yield, and increased yield. 
     
     
         30 . The method according to  claim 28 , wherein said transgenic plant is a soy, a cotton, a canola, a wheat, a sunflower, a sorghum, an alfalfa, a barley, a millet, a rice, a tobacco, a fruit, a vegetable, or a turf grass. 
     
     
         31 . The method according to  claim 28 , wherein said functional homolog comprises at least 50 consecutive amino acids having at least 80% identity to a 50 amino acid isopentenyl transferase polypeptide fragment of a reference sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 11355, 14451, 14862, 15267, 15281, 15282, and 23687.