Polynucleotides and polypeptides involved in plant fiber development and methods of using same

Abstract

Isolated polynucleotides are provided. Each of the isolated polynucleotides comprise a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide having an amino acid sequence at least 80% homologous to SEQ ID NO: 121, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 95 or 96, wherein the polypeptide is capable of regulating cotton fiber development. Also provided are methods of using such polynucleotides for improving fiber quality and/or yield of a fiber producing plant, as well as methods of using such polynucleotides for producing plants having increased biomass/vigor/yield.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A nucleic acid construct comprising an isolated polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide having an amino acid sequence at least 80% identical to the polypeptide set forth by SEQ ID NO: 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 116, 118, 119, 120, 122, 124, 125, 126, 95, 96, or 26, and a heterologous promoter for regulating expression of said nucleic acid sequence in a host cell, wherein the isolated polynucleotide is operably linked to said heterologous promoter, wherein said polypeptide is capable of regulating cotton fiber development, biomass, vigor, and/or yield. The nucleic acid construct of  claim 1 , wherein said polypeptide is at least 90% identical to the polypeptide set forth by SEQ ID NO: 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 116, 118, 119, 120, 122, 124, 125, 126, 95, 96, or 26, and regulates cotton fiber development, biomass, vigor, and/or yield 
     
     
         3 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 1 , wherein said polypeptide is at least 95% identical to the polypeptide set forth by SEQ ID NO: 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 116, 118, 119, 120, 122, 124, 125, 126, 95, 96, or 26, and regulates cotton fiber development, biomass, vigor, and/or yield. 
     
     
         4 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 1 , wherein said polypeptide is at least 99% identical to the polypeptide set forth by SEQ ID NO: 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 116, 118, 119, 120, 122, 124, 125, 126, 95, 96, or 26, and regulates cotton fiber development, biomass, vigor, and/or yield. 
     
     
         5 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 1 , wherein said polypeptide is set forth by SEQ ID NO: 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 116, 118, 119, 120, 122, 124, 125, 126, 95, 96, or 26. 
     
     
         6 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 1 , wherein said polynucleotide encoding said polypeptide is at least 80% identical to the polynucleotide set forth by SEQ ID NO: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 16, 17, 18, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, and 13, and regulates cotton fiber development, biomass, vigor, and/or yield. 
     
     
         7 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 1 , wherein said polynucleotide encoding said polypeptide has at least 95% sequence identity and a different codon usage with respect to the polynucleotide set forth by SEQ ID NO: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 16, 17, 18, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, and 13, and regulates cotton fiber development, biomass, vigor, and/or yield. 
     
     
         8 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 1 , wherein said polynucleotide is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 16, 17, 18, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, and 13. 
     
     
         9 . The nucleic acid construct of claim said promoter is set forth in SEQ ID NO: 74, 75, 85 or 91. 
     
     
         10 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 1 , wherein said promoter is a constitutive promoter. 
     
     
         11 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 1 , wherein said promoter is selected from the group consisting of an inducible promoter, an endothelial cell promoter, a tissue-specific promoter and a developmental stage-specific promoter. 
     
     
         12 . A transgenic plant cell comprising the nucleic acid construct of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         13 . The transgenic plant cell of  claim 12 , wherein said cell forms part of a plant. 
     
     
         14 . The transgenic plant cell of  claim 12 , wherein the plant is a monocot plant. 
     
     
         15 . The transgenic plant cell of  claim 12 , wherein the plant is a dicot plant 
     
     
         16 . A transgenic plant comprising the nucleic acid construct of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         17 . A method of generating a transgenic plant, comprising introducing into a cell of the plant the nucleic acid construct of  claim 1 , thereby generating the transgenic plant. 
     
     
         18 . A method of improving biomass, fiber quality and/or yield of a plant as compared to a non-transformed plant, the method comprising expressing within the plant a nucleic acid construct which comprises an isolated polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide having an amino acid sequence with at least 80% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth by SEQ ID NO: 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 116, 118, 119, 120, 122, 124, 125, 126, 95, 96, or 26 and regulates cotton fiber development, and wherein the isolated polynucleotide is operably linked to a heterologous promoter for regulating expression of said polynucleotide in a plant cell, thereby improving the biomass, fiber quality and/or yield of the plant as compared to the non-transformed plant. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein said amino acid sequence has at least 95% sequence identity with respect to the polypeptide set forth by SEQ ID NO: 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 116, 118, 119, 120, 122, 124, 125, 126, 95, 96, or 26 and wherein said polypeptide regulates cotton fiber development. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein said amino acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 116, 118, 119, 120, 122, 124, 125, 126, 95, 96, and 26.