Isolated polynucleotides and polypeptides, and methods of using same for increasing nitrogen use efficiency of plants

Abstract

Provided are isolated polypeptides which are at least 80% homologous to SEQ ID NOs: 202-219, 221-292, 295-327, 4064-4175, 4177-4210, 4212-4580, 4582-4603, 4605-4749, 4751-4778, 4780-5223, 5225-5493, 5522-5807, 5812, 5815-5816, 5828-6679, 6689-6690, 6708-6785, 6792-6892 or 6893, isolated polynucleotides which are at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NOs: 1-91, 94-201, 328-2317, 2320-2321, 2323, 2326-3835, 3838-3840, 3842-3843, 3848, 3850-3852, 3854, 3856-3953, 3955-4061 or 4062, nucleic acid constructs comprising same, transgenic cells expressing same, transgenic plants expressing same and method of using same for increasing yield, abiotic stress tolerance, growth rate, biomass, vigor, oil content, photosynthetic capacity, seed yield, fiber yield, fiber quality, fiber length, and/or nitrogen use efficiency of a plant.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of increasing nitrogen use efficiency, yield, growth rate, biomass, plant height, vigor, oil content, seed yield, fiber yield, fiber quality, fiber length, photosynthetic capacity, and/or abiotic stress tolerance, and/or reducing time to flowering and/or time to inflorescence emergence of a plant, comprising over-expressing within the plant a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence at least 80% identical to, and having conservative amino acid substitutions with respect to, SEQ ID NO: 272, 202-203, 205-216, 218-219, 221-284, 286-292, 295-327, 4064-4068, 4074-4175, 4177-4210, 4212-4580, 4582-4603, 4605-4749, 4751-4778, 4780-4933, 5202-5223, 5225-5493, 5522-5807, 5812, 5815-5816, 5828-6679, 6689-6690, 6708-6785, 6792-6892 or 6893 as compared to a wild type plant of the same species, thereby increasing the nitrogen use efficiency, yield, growth rate, biomass, plant height, vigor, oil content, seed yield, fiber yield, fiber quality, fiber length, photosynthetic capacity, and/or abiotic stress tolerance, and/or reducing time to flowering and/or time to inflorescence emergence, of the plant. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said amino acid sequence is at least 90% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth by SEQ ID NO: 272, 202-203, 205-216, 218-219, 221-284, 286-292, 295-327, 4064-4068, 4074-4175, 4177-4210, 4212-4580, 4582-4603, 4605-4749, 4751-4778, 4780-4933, 5202-5223, 5225-5493, 5522-5807, 5812, 5815-5816, 5828-6679, 6689-6690, 6708-6785, 6792-6892 or 6893. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said amino acid sequence exhibits at least 95% sequence identity and has conservative amino acid substitutions with respect to the polypeptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 272, 202-203, 205-216, 218-284, 286-327, 4064-4068, 4074-4933, and 5202-6893. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said polypeptide is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 272, 202-203, 205-216, 218-284, 286-327, 4064-4068, 4074-4933, and 5202-6893. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said polypeptide is expressed from a polynucleotide comprising the nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 178, 1-2, 4-83, 85-113, 115-125, 127-190, 192-201, 328-1517, and 1975-4062. 
     
     
         6 . A method of producing a crop, comprising growing a crop plant transformed with an exogenous polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide at least 80% identical to, and having conservative amino acid substitutions with respect to, the amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 272, 202-203, 205-216, 218-219, 221-284, 286-292, 295-327, 4064-4068, 4074-4175, 4177-4210, 4212-4580, 4582-4603, 4605-4749, 4751-4778, 4780-4933, 5202-5223, 5225-5493, 5522-5807, 5812, 5815-5816, 5828-6679, 6689-6690, 6708-6785, and 6792-6893, wherein the crop plant is derived from plants transformed with said exogenous polynucleotide and selected for increased nitrogen use efficiency, increased yield, increased growth rate, increased biomass, increased plant height, increased vigor, increased oil content, increased seed yield, increased fiber yield, increased fiber quality, increased fiber length, increased photosynthetic capacity, increased abiotic stress tolerance, reduced time to flowering and/or reduced time to inflorescence emergence 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 nitrogen use efficiency, increased yield, increased growth rate, increased biomass, increased plant height, increased vigor, increased oil content, increased seed yield, increased fiber yield, increased fiber quality, increased fiber length, increased photosynthetic capacity, increased abiotic stress tolerance, reduced time to flowering and/or reduced time to inflorescence emergence, thereby producing the crop. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein said amino acid sequence is at least 90% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth by SEQ ID NO: 272, 202-203, 205-216, 218-219, 221-284, 286-292, 295-327, 4064-4068, 4074-4175, 4177-4210, 4212-4580, 4582-4603, 4605-4749, 4751-4778, 4780-4933, 5202-5223, 5225-5493, 5522-5807, 5812, 5815-5816, 5828-6679, 6689-6690, 6708-6785, 6792-6892 or 6893. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein said amino acid sequence exhibits at least 95% sequence identity and has conservative amino acid substitutions with respect to the polypeptide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 272, 202-203, 205-216, 218-284, 286-327, 4064-4068, 4074-4933, and 5202-6893. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein said polypeptide is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 272, 202-203, 205-216, 218-284, 286-327, 4064-4068, 4074-4933, and 5202-6893. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 178, 1-2, 4-83, 85-113, 115-125, 127-190, 192-201, 328-1517, and 1975-4062. 
     
     
         11 . A nucleic acid construct comprising an isolated polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide which comprises an amino acid sequence at least 80% identical to, and having conservative amino acid substitutions with respect to, the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 272, 202-203, 205-216, 218-219, 221-284, 286-292, 295-327, 4064-4068, 4074-4175, 4177-4210, 4212-4580, 4582-4603, 4605-4749, 4751-4778, 4780-4933, 5202-5223, 5225-5493, 5522-5807, 5812, 5815-5816, 5828-6679, 6689-6690, 6708-6785, 6792-6892, or 6893, and a promoter for directing transcription of said nucleic acid sequence in a host cell, wherein said promoter is heterologous to said isolated polynucleotide, and wherein said amino acid sequence is capable of increasing nitrogen use efficiency, yield, growth rate, biomass, plant height, vigor, oil content, seed yield, fiber yield, fiber quality, fiber length, photosynthetic capacity and/or abiotic stress tolerance, and/or reducing time to flowering and/or time to inflorescence emergence, of a plant as compared to a wild type plant of the same species. 
     
     
         12 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 11 , wherein said polypeptide comprises the amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 272, 202-203, 205-216, 218-284, 286-327, 4064-4068, 4074-4933, and 5202-6893. 
     
     
         13 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 11 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 178, 1-2, 4-83, 85-113, 115-125, 127-190, 192-201, 328-1517, and 1975-4062. 
     
     
         14 . A plant cell transformed with the nucleic acid construct of  claim 11 . 
     
     
         15 . The plant cell of  claim 14 , wherein said plant cell forms part of a plant. 
     
     
         16 . A transgenic plant comprising the nucleic acid construct of  claim 11 . 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising growing the plant over-expressing said polypeptide under the abiotic stress. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said abiotic stress is selected from the group consisting of salinity, drought, osmotic stress, water deprivation, flood, etiolation, low temperature, high temperature, heavy metal toxicity, anaerobiosis, nutrient deficiency, nitrogen deficiency, nutrient excess, atmospheric pollution and UV irradiation. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising growing the plant over-expressing said polypeptide under nitrogen-limiting conditions. 
     
     
         20 . A method of growing a crop, the method comprising seeding seeds and/or planting plantlets of a plant transformed with the nucleic acid construct of  claim 11 , wherein the plant is derived from plants selected for at least one trait selected from the group consisting of: increased nitrogen use efficiency, increased abiotic stress tolerance, increased biomass, increased plant height, increased growth rate, increased vigor, increased yield and increased fiber yield, increased fiber quality, increased fiber length, increased photosynthetic capacity, increased oil content, reduced time to flowering and reduced time to inflorescence emergence as compared to a non-transformed plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions, thereby growing the crop. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising selecting a plant over-expressing said polypeptide for an increased nitrogen use efficiency, yield, growth rate, biomass, plant height, vigor, oil content, seed yield, fiber yield, fiber quality, fiber length, photosynthetic capacity, abiotic stress tolerance, reduced time to flowering and/or reduced time to inflorescence emergence as compared to the wild type plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions. 
     
     
         22 . A method of selecting a plant having increased nitrogen use efficiency, yield, growth rate, biomass, plant height, vigor, oil content, seed yield, fiber yield, fiber quality, fiber length, photosynthetic capacity, and/or abiotic stress tolerance, and/or reduced time to flowering and/or time to inflorescence emergence, as compared to a wild type plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions, the method comprising:
 (a) providing the transgenic plants of  claim 16 ; and   (b) selecting from said plants a plant having increased nitrogen use efficiency, yield, growth rate, biomass, plant height, vigor, oil content, seed yield, fiber yield, fiber quality, fiber length, photosynthetic capacity, and/or abiotic stress tolerance, and/or reduced time to flowering and/or time to inflorescence emergence,   thereby selecting the plant having increased nitrogen use efficiency, yield, growth rate, biomass, plant height, vigor, oil content, seed yield, fiber yield, fiber quality, fiber length, photosynthetic capacity, and/or abiotic stress tolerance, and/or reduced time to flowering and/or time to inflorescence emergence as compared to the wild type plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions.