Compositions and methods for increasing nematode resistance in plants

Abstract

The invention relates to methods and compositions for increasing resistance or tolerance to a nematode plant pest in a plant or part thereof. Nucleotide sequences that confer resistance or tolerance to nematode plant pests when expressed in a plant are provided as well as compositions comprising the polypeptides encoded by the nucleotide sequences, and transgenic plants and parts thereof comprising the nucleotide sequences.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of controlling a nematode plant pest, comprising contacting the nematode plant pest with a transgenic plant, or part thereof, having incorporated into its genome a recombinant nucleic acid molecule that increases the expression of one or more polypeptides sequences selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 29-42, 135-209, 243-245, 247-249, 251, 260, 665-792, 796-1018, 1020, 1025-1046, or encoding a conservatively modified variant of said polypeptide having at least 80% sequence identity to said polypeptide, thereby controlling the nematode plant pest. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said recombinant nucleic acid molecule is operatively linked to a promoter functional in a plant or plant cell, and wherein said nucleic acid sequence is a nucleotide sequence having at least 80% sequence identity to the nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:1-28, 43-134, 210-211, 213-215, 217-227, 229-231, 233-242, 261-398, 402-636, 638, 643-644. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the transgenic plant or plant part is a transgenic soybean plant, a transgenic sugar beet plant, a transgenic corn plant, a transgenic cotton plant, a transgenic canola plant, a transgenic wheat plant, or a transgenic rice plant, or a part thereof. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the nematode pest is selected from the group consisting of: a cyst nematode ( Heterodera  spp.), a root knot nematode ( Meloidogyne  spp.), a lance nematode ( Hoplolaimus  spp.), a stunt nematode ( Tylenchorhynchus  spp.), a spiral nematode ( Helicotylenchus  spp.), a lesion nematode ( Pratylenchus  spp.), a sting nematode ( Belonoluimus  spp.), a reniform nematode ( Rotylenchulus reniformis ), a burrowing nematode ( Radopholus similis ), a ring nematode ( Criconema  spp.), and any combination thereof. 
     
     
         5 . A transgenic plant, or part thereof, having incorporated into its genome a recombinant nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 29-42, 135-209, 243-245, 247-249, 251, 260, 665-792, 796-1018, 1020, 1025-1046, or encoding a conservatively modified variant of said polypeptide having at least 80% sequence identity to said polypeptide, wherein the transgenic plant is resistant to a nematode pest. 
     
     
         6 . A method of producing a soybean plant having increased resistance to infestation by a nematode plant pest, the method comprising the steps of (a) crossing the transgenic plant of  claim 5  with itself or another plant to produce seed comprising said recombinant nucleic acid molecule that modulates the expression of one or more polypeptides selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 29-42, 135-209, 243-245, 247-249, 251, 260, 665-792, 796-1018, 1020, 1025-1046, and any combination thereof; and (b) growing a progeny plant from said seed to produce a plant having increased resistance to infestation by nematode plant pests. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising (c) crossing the progeny plant with itself or another plant and (d) repeating steps (b) and (c) for an additional 0-7 generations to produce a plant having increased resistance to infestation by nematode plant pests. 
     
     
         8 . A crop comprising a plurality of the transgenic plants of  claim 6  planted together in an agricultural field. 
     
     
         9 . A method of improving yield of a plant crop, comprising: cultivating a plurality of the plants of  claim 5  as a plant crop, wherein the plurality of plants of said plant crop have increased resistance to nematode infection, thereby improving the yield of said plant crop. 
     
     
         10 . A method of reducing the infectivity of a nematode plant pest to a plant, comprising contacting the nematode plant pest with the transgenic plant of  claim 5 , thereby reducing the infectivity of the nematode plant pest to the plant. 
     
     
         11 . A recombinant nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence operatively linked to a heterologous promoter functional in a plant, wherein the nucleotide sequence encodes a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs: 29-42, 135-209, 243-245, 247-249, 251, 260, 665-792, 796-1018, 1020, 1025-1046, or a conservatively modified variant of said polypeptide having at least 80% sequence identity to said polypeptide. 
     
     
         12 . The recombinant nucleic acid molecule of  claim 11 , wherein said nucleotide sequence exhibits at least 80% sequence identity to the nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:1-28, 43-134, 210-211, 213-215, 217-227, 229-231, 233-242, 261-398, 402-636, 638, 643-644. 
     
     
         13 . A nematicidal composition comprising the recombinant nucleic acid molecule of  claim 11  in an agriculturally acceptable carrier. 
     
     
         14 . The nematicidal composition of  claim 13 , further comprising additional nematicidal or insecticidal compounds. 
     
     
         15 . The nematicidal composition of  claim 14 , wherein the additional nematicidal compound is selected from the group consisting of chloropicrin, metam sodium, metam potassium, dazomet, iodomethane, dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), sulfryl fluoride, oxamyl and fosthiazate. 
     
     
         16 . A nematicidal composition comprising a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs: 29-42, 135-209, 243-245, 247-249, 251, 260, 665-792, 796-1018, 1020, 1025-1046, in an agriculturally acceptable carrier. 
     
     
         17 . The nematicidal composition of  claim 16 , further comprising additional nematicidal or insecticidal compounds. 
     
     
         18 . A method of producing a transgenic plant, the method comprising introducing into a plant a recombinant nucleic acid molecule of  claim 11 , thereby producing a transgenic plant having increased resistance to a nematode plant pest. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the introducing is done by transforming a plant cell with said recombinant nucleic acid molecule and regenerating a transgenic plant or by breeding. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the introducing is done by transforming a plant cell and regenerating a transgenic plant or by breeding. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the nematode plant pest is selected from the group consisting of: a cyst nematode ( Heterodera  spp.), a root knot nematode ( Meloidogyne  spp.), a lance nematode ( Hoplolaimus  spp.), a stunt nematode ( Tylenchorhynchus  spp.), a spiral nematode ( Helicotylenchus  spp.), a lesion nematode ( Pratylenchus  spp.), a sting nematode ( Belonoluimus  spp.), a reniform nematode ( Rotylenchulus reniformis ), a burrowing nematode ( Radopholus similis ), a ring nematode ( Criconema  spp.), and any combination thereof.