Transgenic plants having increased tolerance to aluminum

Abstract

Methods and materials for modulating aluminum tolerance in plants are disclosed. For example, nucleic acids encoding aluminum tolerance-modulating polypeptides are disclosed as well as methods for using such nucleic acids to transform plant cells. Also disclosed are plants having increased tolerance to aluminum and methods of increasing plant yield in soil containing elevated levels of aluminum.

1 - 16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . A plant cell comprising an exogenous nucleic acid, said exogenous nucleic acid comprising a regulatory region operably linked to a nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide having 90 percent or greater sequence identity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:237, and wherein a plant produced from said plant cell is tolerant of elevated soil levels of Al 3+  as compared to that of a control plant that does not comprise said nucleic acid. 
     
     
         18 . A plant cell comprising an exogenous nucleic acid, said exogenous nucleic acid comprising a regulatory region operably linked to a nucleotide sequence having 90 percent or greater sequence identity to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:236, and wherein a plant produced from said plant cell is tolerant of elevated soil levels of Al 3+  as compared to that of a control plant that does not comprise said nucleic acid. 
     
     
         19 . A transgenic plant comprising the plant cell of  claim 17  or  claim 18 . 
     
     
         20 . The transgenic plant of  claim 19 , wherein said plant is selected from the group consisting of  Panicum virgatum, Sorghum bicolor, Miscanthus giganteus, Saccharum  sp.,  Populus balsamifera, Zea mays, Glycine max, Brassica napus, Triticum aestivum, Gossypium hirsutum, Oryza sativa, Helianthus annuus, Medicago sativa, Beta vulgaris , or  Pennisetum glaucum.    
     
     
         21 . Progeny of the plant of  claim 19 , wherein said progeny has increased tolerance to elevated Al 3+  conditions as compared to that of a control plant that does not comprise said nucleic acid. 
     
     
         22 . Seed from a transgenic plant of  claim 19 , said seed comprising said exogenous nucleic acid. 
     
     
         23 . Vegetative tissue from a transgenic plant of  claim 19 , said tissue comprising said exogenous nucleic acid. 
     
     
         24 . A food product comprising vegetative tissue from a transgenic plant of  claim 19 , said tissue comprising said exogenous nucleic acid. 
     
     
         25 . A feed product comprising vegetative tissue from a transgenic plant of  claim 19 , said tissue comprising said exogenous nucleic acid.