Isolated polynucleotides and polypeptides and methods of using same for increasing plant yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, abiotic stress tolerance of plants and nitrogen use efficiency

Abstract

Provided are isolated polynucleotides encoding a polypeptide at least 80% homologous to the amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 799, 488-798, 800-813, 4852-5453, 5460, 5461, 5484, 5486-5550, 5553, and 5558-8091; and isolated polynucleotide comprising nucleic acid sequences at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NO: 460, 1-459, 461-487, 814-1598, 1600-1603, 1605-1626, 1632-1642, 1645-4850 or 4851. Also provided are nucleic acid constructs comprising same, isolated polypeptides encoded thereby, transgenic cells and transgenic plants comprising same and methods of using same for increasing yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, abiotic stress tolerance, and/or nitrogen use efficiency of a plant. Also provided are isolated polynucleotides comprising the nucleic acid sequence set forth by SEQ ID NO:8096, wherein the isolated polynucleotide is capable of regulating expression of at least one polynucleotide sequence operably linked thereto.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of increasing yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, abiotic stress tolerance, nitrogen use efficiency and/or reducing time to flowering of a plant as compared to a wild type plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions, comprising over-expressing within the plant a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence as set forth by SEQ ID NO: 799, 488-500, 502-520, 522-620, 622-783, 785-798, 800-813, 4852-4937, 4943-5453, 5460, 5461, 5484, 5486-5550, 5553, 5558-5899, 5902-7842, 7848-8090 or 8091, or a homologous polypeptide thereof which exhibits at least 80% sequence identity to said amino acid sequence, wherein said homologous polypeptide increases yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, abiotic stress tolerance, nitrogen use efficiency and/or reduces time to flowering of a plant, thereby increasing the yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, abiotic stress tolerance, nitrogen use efficiency and/or reducing time to flowering of the plant. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said homologous polypeptide exhibits at least 90% sequence identity to said amino acid sequence. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said homologous polypeptide exhibits at least 95% sequence identity to said amino acid sequence. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said polypeptide is set forth by SEQ ID NO: 799, 488-500, 502-520, 522-620, 622-783, 785-798, 800-813, 4852-4937, 4943-5453, 5460, 5461, 5484, 5486-5550, 5553, 5558-5899, 5902-7842, 7848-8090 or 8091. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said homologous polypeptide comprises conservative amino acid substitution(s) with respect to the amino acid sequence set forth by SEQ ID NO: 799, 488-500, 502-520, 522-620, 622-783, 785-798, 800-813, 4852-4937, 4943-5453, 5460, 5461, 5484, 5486-5550, 5553, 5558-5899, 5902-7842, 7848-8090 or 8091. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said polypeptide is expressed from a polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 460, 1-13, 15-33, 35-133, 135-297, 299-316, 318-412, 414-459, 461-487, 814-906, 912-1598, 1600-1603, 1605-1626, 1632-1642, 1645-4557, 4564-4851, 1599, 1604, 1628, 1630, and 1644, or optimized sequences thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising growing the plant over-expressing said polypeptide under the abiotic stress. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said abiotic stress is selected from the group consisting of salinity, drought, water deprivation, flood, etiolation, low temperature, high temperature, heavy metal toxicity, anaerobiosis, nutrient deficiency, nutrient excess, atmospheric pollution and UV irradiation. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the yield comprises seed yield or oil yield. 
     
     
         10 . A method of producing a crop plant comprising growing a crop plant which over-expresses the polypeptide set forth by SEQ ID NO: 799, 488-500, 502-520, 522-620, 622-783, 785-798, 800-813, 4852-4937, 4943-5453, 5460, 5461, 5484, 5486-5550, 5553, 5558-5899, 5902-7842, 7848-8090 or 8091, or a homologous polypeptide thereof which exhibits at least 80% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 799, 488-500, 502-520, 522-620, 622-783, 785-798, 800-813, 4852-4937, 4943-5453, 5460, 5461, 5484, 5486-5550, 5553, 5558-5899, 5902-7842, 7848-8090 or 8091 as compared to a wild type plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions, wherein said homologous polypeptide increases yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, abiotic stress tolerance, nitrogen use efficiency and/or reducing time to flowering of a plant as compared to a wild type plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions, wherein the crop plant is obtained from parent plants over-expressing said polypeptide, thereby producing the crop plant. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein said parent plants have been selected for increased yield, increased biomass, increased growth rate, increased vigor, increased oil content, increased fiber yield, increased fiber quality, increased abiotic stress tolerance, increased nitrogen use efficiency and/or reduced time to flowering as compared to a wild type plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions, and the crop plant has the increased yield, increased biomass, increased growth rate, increased vigor, increased oil content, increased fiber yield, increased fiber quality, increased abiotic stress tolerance, increased nitrogen use efficiency and/or reduced time to flowering. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein said homologous polypeptide exhibits at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 799, 488-500, 502-520, 522-620, 622-783, 785-798, 800-813, 4852-4937, 4943-5453, 5460, 5461, 5484, 5486-5550, 5553, 5558-5899, 5902-7842, 7848-8090 or 8091. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein said homologous polypeptide comprises conservative amino acid substitution(s) with respect to the amino acid sequence set forth by SEQ ID NO: 799, 488-500, 502-520, 522-620, 622-783, 785-798, 800-813, 4852-4937, 4943-5453, 5460, 5461, 5484, 5486-5550, 5553, 5558-5899, 5902-7842, 7848-8090 or 8091. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein said polypeptide is expressed from a polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 460, 1-13, 15-33, 35-133, 135-297, 299-316, 318-412, 414-459, 461-487, 814-906, 912-1598, 1600-1603, 1605-1626, 1632-1642, 1645-4557, 4564-4851, 1599, 1604, 1628, 1630, and 1644, or an optimized sequence thereof. 
     
     
         15 . A nucleic acid construct comprising an isolated polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence as set forth by SEQ ID NO: 799, 488-500, 502-520, 522-620, 622-783, 785-798, 800-813, 4852-4937, 4943-5453, 5460, 5461, 5484, 5486-5550, 5553, 5558-5899, 5902-7842, 7848-8090 or 8091, or a homologous polypeptide thereof which exhibits at least 80% sequence identity to said amino acid sequence, and a heterologous promoter for directing transcription of said nucleic acid sequence in a host cell, wherein said homologous polypeptide increases yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, abiotic stress tolerance, nitrogen use efficiency and/or reduces time to flowering of a plant as compared to a wild type plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions. 
     
     
         16 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 15 , wherein said homologous polypeptide comprises conservative amino acid substitution(s) with respect to the amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 799, 488-500, 502-520, 522-620, 622-783, 785-798, 800-813, 4852-4937, 4943-5453, 5460, 5461, 5484, 5486-5550, 5553, 5558-5899, 5902-7842, 7848-8090 and 8091. 
     
     
         17 . A plant cell transformed with the nucleic acid construct of  claim 15 . 
     
     
         18 . A plant transformed with the nucleic acid construct of  claim 15 . 
     
     
         19 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 15 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence exhibits at least 80% sequence identity to the polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 460, 1-13, 15-33, 35-133, 135-297, 299-316, 318-412, 414-459, 461-487, 814-906, 912-1598, 1600-1603, 1605-1626, 1632-1642, 1645-4557, 4564-4851, 1599, 1604, 1628, 1630, and 1644. 
     
     
         20 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 15 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence exhibits at least 90% sequence identity to the polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 460, 1-13, 15-33, 35-133, 135-297, 299-316, 318-412, 414-459, 461-487, 814-906, 912-1598, 1600-1603, 1605-1626, 1632-1642, 1645-4557, 4564-4851, 1599, 1604, 1628, 1630, and 1644. 
     
     
         21 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 15 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 460, 1-13, 15-33, 35-133, 135-297, 299-316, 318-412, 414-459, 461-487, 814-906, 912-1598, 1600-1603, 1605-1626, 1632-1642, 1645-4557, 4564-4851, 1599, 1604, 1628, 1630, and 1644 or optimized sequences thereof. 
     
     
         22 . A method of producing a transgenic plant, comprising transforming a plant with the nucleic acid construct of  claim 15 .