The Texas A&M University System

Other

T Erik Mirkov

Mona B Damaj

Ivan L Ingelbrecht

Terry L Thomas

Avutu Sambi Reddy

Keerti S Rathore

Siva Prasad Kumpatla

Chandrakanth Emani

Kranthi Kiran Mandadi

Meizhu Yang

Andrew Paterson

Adam Barrilleaux

Jean P Monclin

James E Irvine

Francis Moonan

Sonia C Irigoyen

Martin B Dickman

Jong Won Park

San-Ji Gao

Getu Beyene

Javier Gonzalez-Ramos

Mayra Faion-Molina

Marco David Molina Risco

Avutu Sam Reddy

Kranthi K Mandadi

The present disclosure relates, according to some embodiments, to pathogen resistant plants, compositions, organisms, systems, and methods. For example, a composition may comprise a heterologous peptide (e.g., a defensin peptide) and/or a nucleic acid (e.g., a defensin nucleic acid). A pathogen resistant plant may comprise, in some embodiments, a heterologous defensin peptide and/or an expressible nucleic acid encoding a heterologous defensin peptide.

Pathogen resistant compositions, organisms, systems, and methods

Numerous plant microbes, including the vascular-limitedspp.&#x2014;causal agents of citrus greening and potato zebra chip diseases&#x2014;are non-culturable. The present disclosure relates, according to some embodiments, to compositions, methods and systems for culturing such organisms. For example, the present disclosure relates to methods for culturing, propagating, and characterizing fastidious vascular-colonizing microbes using a hairy root system (e.g., in vitro, in planta). The present disclosure relates, in some embodiments, to methods for cultivating a fastidious plant microbe including: contacting a plant (e.g., a tomato plant, a potato plant, a citrus plant) colonized by a fastidious plant microbe (e.g.,spp.) with a suspension ofunder conditions that permit induction of hairy roots colonized with the fastidious plant microbe, and propagating the colonized microbial hairy roots.

Methods, compositions, and systems for culturing and characterizing fastidious plant microbes

The present disclosure relates, according to some embodiments, to pathogen resistant citrus compositions, organisms, systems, and methods. For example, a composition may comprise a peptide (e.g., a defensin peptide) and/or a nucleic acid (e.g., a defensin nucleic acid). A pathogen resistant citrus plant may comprise, in some embodiments, a defensin peptide and/or an expressible nucleic acid encoding a defensin peptide.

Pathogen resistant citrus compositions, organisms, systems, and methods

The present disclosure relates, according to some embodiments, to pathogen resistantcompositions, organisms, systems, and methods. For example, a composition may comprise a peptide (e.g., a defensin peptide) and/or a nucleic acid (e.g., a defensin nucleic acid). A pathogen resistantplant may comprise, in some embodiments, a defensin peptide and/or an expressable nucleic acid encoding a defensin peptide.

The present disclosure relates, in some embodiments, to compositions, organisms, systems, and methods for expressing a gene product in a plant using a expression control sequence (ECS) operable in monocots and/or dicots. For example, (i) an isolated nucleic acid may comprise an ECS (e.g., a sugarcane bacilliform virus promoter) and, optionally, an exogenous nucleic acid (ExNA) operably linked to the ECS; (ii) an expression vector may comprise an ECS; an ExNA; and, optionally, a 3' termination sequence, wherein the ECS has promoter activity sufficient to express the ExNA in at least one monocot and at least one dicot; (iii) a microorganism, plant cell, or plant may comprise an isolated nucleic acid; (iv) a method for constitutively expressing an ExNA in a plant (e.g., a monocot and/or a dicot) may comprise, contacting an expression vector with the cytosol of a cell of the plant, wherein the expression vector comprises the ExNA and an ECS operable to drive expression of the ExNA; and/or (v) a method of directing constitutive expression of a nucleic acid in a plant (e.g., a monocot and/or a dicot) may comprise transforming the plant with an expression nucleic acid comprising an ECS, an ExNA, and a 3&#x2032; termination sequence.

Compositions, organisms, systems, and methods for expressing a gene product in plants

The present disclosure relates, in some embodiments, to materials, systems, organisms, and methods for enhancing abiotic stress tolerance (e.g., cold, salinity, drought, heat, wind) and/or enhancing biomass in plants. For example, enhancing abiotic stress tolerance may be achieved in plants havingBCL-2-associated athanogene 4 (AtBAG4) nucleic acids and/or polypeptides,Ced-9 nucleic acids and/or polypeptides, and/or human Bcl-2-161 nucleic acids and/or polypeptides.

Compositions, organisms, systems, and methods for altering cold, drought, and salt tolerance in plants

The present disclosure relates, according to some embodiments, to compositions, organisms, systems, and methods for expressing a gene product in a plant (e.g., a monocot) using a promoter operable in one or more plant tissues and/or cells. In some embodiments, an artificial nucleic acid may comprise an expression control sequence having the sequence selected from the sequence of nucleotides 1-4710 of SEQ ID NO: 1 and the sequence of nucleotides 1137-4710 of SEQ ID NO: 1, wherein the expression control sequence has stem-regulated promoter activity in at least one monocot (e.g., at least two monocots).

Stem-specific promoter from sugarcane dirigent gene

Compositions, organisms, systems, and methods for expressing a gene product in plants using SCBV expression control sequences operable in monocots and dicots

This invention relates to a regulatory element useful for genetically engineering sugarcane or other monocots, to the transformation of the monocots with the regulatory element so that they produce a desired product, and to the regeneration of the monocots transformed with the regulatory element. In particular the present invention provides a nucleic acid encoding the promoter of a sugarcane proline rich protein as shown in Seq ID #3.

Methods and constructs for producing transgenic plants and methods of recovering expressed proteins

The invention is directed to isolated promoters from stem-regulated, defense-inducible genes, such as OMT promoters. The promoters are useful in expression cassettes and expression vectors for the transformation of plants. Particularly, the invention provides transgenic plants of rice and sugarcane that have been modified such that expression of a heterologous coding sequence is directed by an OMT promoter and is limited to stem tissues or may be upregulated by the presence of a defense-inducing agent. The invention also discloses methods for producing the expression vectors and transgenic plants.

Stem-regulated, plant defense promoter and uses thereof in tissue-specific expression in monocots

This disclosure relates to a regulatory element useful for genetically engineering sugarcane or other monocots, to the transformation of the monocots with the regulatory element so that they produce a desired product, and to the regeneration of the monocots transformed with the regulatory element. In particular the present disclosure provides a nucleic acid encoding a promoter of a Sugarcane Elongation Factor (SEF), for example, as shown in SEQ ID NO: 5.

The present disclosure includes methods of using viral and plant proteins to regulate silencing in plants such as monocots. Some embodiments include methods of increasing expression of transgenes in plants. Such methods may include selecting a protein involved in post-translational gene silencing (PTGS), for e.g., a protein active in PTGS or a suppressor of PTGS, in a plant and transforming the plant with a nucleic acid encoding the protein involved in PTGS wherein expression of the protein involved in PTGS increases expression of the transgene in the plant. One non-limiting example of such a protein is the Sorghum Mosaic Virus (SrMV) P1/HC-Pro. Methods of the disclosure may be used to regulate silencing of transgenes and to increase expression of transgenes in a variety of plants such as sugarcane, corn, sorghum, and/or rice.

Isolation of proteins involved in posttranscriptional gene silencing and methods of use

The invention is directed to isolated promoters from stem-regulated, defense-inducible genes, such as JAS promoters. The promoters are useful in expression cassettes and expression vectors for the transformation of plants. Particularly, the invention provides transgenic plants of rice and sugarcane that have been modified such that expression of a heterologous coding sequence is directed by an JAS promoter and is limited to stem tissues or may be upregulated by the presence of a defense-inducing agent. The invention also discloses methods for producing the expression vectors and transgenic plants.

The present invention includes a method for detecting and isolating sugarcane proteins that interact with the HC-Pro and P1 proteins of SrMV and other proteins involved in gene silencing, particularly in sugarcane. The method uses a two hybrid assay with an HC-Pro, P1, or other silencing-related protein-containing bait protein and a prey protein containing a polypeptide encoded by a DNA molecule in a cDNA library. The method also includes identification of false positives through reverse two-hybrid assays and using in vitro techniques such as farwestern blots or pull down assays where plant physiological conditions may be replicated. Finally, interactions may be confirmed in planta. Some novel proteins used in and discovered using the these methods are also identified. Methods of using viral and plant proteins to regulate silencing in plants such as sugarcane are also discussed.

Growing community of inventors

Harlingen, TX, United States of America

T Erik Mirkov