Pioneer Hi-bred International, Inc.

Matthew J Heckert

Linda A Castle

Yumin Tao

Daniel Siehl

Jian Lu

Henrik Albert

Zhenglin Hou

Ericka Bermudez

Jingtong Hou

Yuxia Dong

Compositions and methods comprising polynucleotides and polypeptides having 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) activity and having insensitivity to an HPPD inhibitor are provided. Further provided are nucleic acid constructs, plants, plant cells, explants, seeds and grain having the HPPD sequences. Various methods of employing the HPPD sequences are provided. Such methods include, for example, methods for producing an HPPD inhibitor tolerant plant, plant cell, explant or seed and methods of controlling weeds in a field containing a crop employing the plants and/or seeds disclosed herein. Methods are also provided to identify additional HPPD variants. Further provided are various methods and compositions that allow the various HPPD polypeptides and variant and fragments thereof to be expressed in a chloroplast or transported to a chloroplast.

Compositions and methods comprising sequences having hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) activity

Chimeric polynucleotides comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding a chloroplast transit peptide operably linked to a heterologous polynucleotide of interest are provided, wherein the chloroplast transit peptide comprises an amino acid sequence having the chloroplast transit peptide sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:1 or a biologically active variant or fragment thereof or wherein the chloroplast transit peptide comprises the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 58 or an active variant or fragment thereof. Chimeric polypeptides encoding the same, as well as, cells, plant cells, plants and seeds are further provided which comprise the chimeric polynucleotides. Compositions further include HPPD polypeptides and polynucleotides encoding the same as set forth in SEQ ID NOS: 57 and 60 or active variants and fragments thereof. Such sequences comprise the chloroplast transit peptide as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 58 or an active variants or fragments thereof. Cells, plant cells, plants and seeds are further provided which comprise such sequences. Methods of use of the various sequences are also provided.

Methods and compositions for targeting sequences of interest to the chloroplast

Growing community of inventors

San Carlos, CA, United States of America

Matthew J Heckert