Transgenic plants with enhanced traits

Abstract

This disclosure provides recombinant DNA constructs and transgenic plants having enhanced traits such as increased yield, increased nitrogen use efficiency, and enhanced drought tolerance or water use efficiency. Transgenic plants may include field crops as well as plant propagules, plant parts and progeny of such transgenic plants. Methods of making and using such transgenic plants are also provided. This disclosure also provides methods of producing seed from such transgenic plants, growing such seed, and selecting progeny plants with enhanced traits. Also disclosed are transgenic plants with altered phenotypes which are useful for screening and selecting transgenic events for the desired enhanced trait.

1 . A recombinant DNA construct comprising:
 a) a polynucleotide sequence with at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identity to a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 1-9; or   b) a polynucleotide sequence that encodes a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence with at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identity to a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 10-18 and 30-39.   
     
     
         2 . The recombinant DNA construct of  claim 1 , further comprising a heterologous promoter functional in a plant cell and operably linked to the polynucleotide sequence. 
     
     
         3 . A vector or plasmid comprising the recombinant DNA construct of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         4 . A plant comprising the recombinant DNA construct of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         5 . The plant of  claim 4 , wherein the plant is a field crop. 
     
     
         6 . The plant of  claim 5 , wherein the field crop plant is selected from the group consisting of corn, soybean, cotton, canola, rice, barley, oat, wheat, turf grass, alfalfa, sugar beet, sunflower, quinoa and sugarcane. 
     
     
         7 . The plant of  claim 4 , wherein the plant has an altered phenotype or an enhanced trait as compared to a control plant. 
     
     
         8 . The plant of  claim 7 , wherein a) the enhanced trait is selected from the group consisting of: decreased days from planting to maturity, increased stalk size, increased number of leaves, increased plant height growth rate in vegetative stage, increased ear size, increased ear dry weight per plant, increased number of kernels per ear, increased weight per kernel, increased number of kernels per plant, decreased ear void, extended grain fill period, reduced plant height, increased number of root branches, increased total root length, increased yield, increased nitrogen use efficiency, and increased water use efficiency as compared to a control plant; or b) the altered phenotype is selected from the group consisting of plant height, biomass, canopy area, anthocyanin content, chlorophyll content, water applied, water content, and water use efficiency. 
     
     
         9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . A plant part or propagule comprising the recombinant DNA construct of  claim 1 , wherein the plant part or propagule is selected from the group consisting of cells, pollen, ovule, flower, embryo, leaf, root, stem, shoot, meristem, grain and seed. 
     
     
         11 . A method for altering a phenotype, enhancing a trait, increasing yield, increasing nitrogen use efficiency, or increasing water use efficiency in a plant comprising producing a transgenic plant comprising a recombinant DNA construct of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein a) the recombinant DNA construct further comprises a heterologous promoter functional in a plant cell and operably linked to the polynucleotide sequence of the recombinant DNA construct; b) the transgenic plant is produced by transforming a plant cell or tissue with the recombinant DNA construct, and regenerating or developing the transgenic plant from the plant cell or tissue comprising the recombinant DNA construct; or c) the transgenic plant is produced by site-directed integration of the recombinant DNA construct into the genome of a plant cell or tissue using a donor template comprising the recombinant DNA construct, and regenerating or developing the transgenic plant from the plant cell or tissue comprising the recombinant DNA construct. 
     
     
         13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 producing a progeny plant comprising the recombinant DNA construct by crossing the transgenic plant with:   a) itself;   b) a second plant from the same plant line;   c) a wild type plant; or   d) a second plant from a different plant line,   to produce a seed, growing the seed to produce a progeny plant; and   selecting a progeny plant with increased yield, increased nitrogen use efficiency, or increased water use efficiency as compared to a control plant.   
     
     
         15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . A plant produced by the method of  claim 11 . 
     
     
         17 . A recombinant DNA molecule for use as a donor template in site-directed integration, wherein
 a) the recombinant DNA molecule comprises an insertion sequence comprising:
 i) a polynucleotide sequence with at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identity to a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 1-9; or 
 ii) a polynucleotide sequence that encodes a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence with at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identity to a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 10-18 and 30-39; or 
   b) the recombinant DNA molecule comprises an insertion sequence for modulation of expression of an endogenous gene, wherein the endogenous gene comprises:
 iii) a polynucleotide sequence encoding a mRNA molecule with at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identity to a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 1-9; or 
 iv) a polynucleotide sequence that encodes a polypeptide having an amino acid sequence with at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or 100% identity to a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 10-18 and 30-39. 
   
     
     
         18 . The recombinant DNA molecule of  claim 17 , wherein the insertion sequence further comprises a heterologous promoter functional in a plant cell and operably linked to the polynucleotide sequence. 
     
     
         19 . The recombinant DNA molecule of  claim 17 , further comprising at least one homology arm flanking the insertion sequence. 
     
     
         20 . The recombinant DNA molecule of  claim 17 , wherein a) the recombinant DNA molecule further comprises at least one cassette encoding site-specific nuclease, wherein the site specific nuclease is selected from the group comprising zinc-finger nuclease, an engineered or native meganuclease, a TALE endonuclease, or an RNA-guided endonuclease; or b) the recombinant DNA molecule further comprises at least one cassette encoding one or more guide RNAs. 
     
     
         21 - 22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . The recombinant DNA molecule of  claim 17 , wherein the insertion sequence comprises a promoter, an enhancer, an intron, or a terminator region. 
     
     
         24 - 25 . (canceled) 
     
     
         26 . A method for altering a phenotype, enhancing a trait, increasing yield, increasing nitrogen use efficiency, or increasing water use efficiency in a plant comprising:
 a) modifying the genome of a plant cell by:
 i) identifying an endogenous gene of the plant corresponding to a gene selected from the list of genes in Tables 1 and 14, and their homologs, and 
 ii) modifying a sequence of the endogenous gene in the plant cell via genome editing or site-directed integration to modify the expression level of the endogenous gene; and 
   b) regenerating or developing a plant from the plant cell.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the modifying step comprises modifying a regulatory or upstream sequence of the endogenous gene via genome editing.