Cotton modification using ovary-tissue transcriptional factors

Details Cotton modification using ovary-tissue transcriptional factors Cotton modification using ovary-tissue transcriptional factors

1995-02-28

2001-12-11

Nelson, Amy J. (Department: 1638)

Multicellular living organisms and unmodified parts thereof and

Method of introducing a polynucleotide molecule into or...

The polynucleotide alters plant part growth

C800S278000, C800S287000, C800S314000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06329570

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to methods of using in vitro constructed DNA transcription or expression cassettes capable of directing ovary-tissue transcription of a DNA sequence of interest in cotton plants to produce ovary-derived cells having an altered phenotype. The invention is exemplified by methods of using ovary tissue promoters for altering the phenotype of boll production in cotton plants and also for modifying the quality of cotton fibers. Included are cotton plants and cotton fibers produced by the method.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Background
The ability to manipulate characteristics of fiber quality in cotton through genetic engineering techniques would permit the rapid introduction of improved cotton varietes. Cotton fiber quality is conventionally measured in terms of characteristics of strength, length and micronaire (a measurement of fiber fineness).
In general, genetic engineering techniques have been directed to modifying the phenotype of individual prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, especially in culture. Plant cells have proven more intransigent than other eukaryotic cells, due not only to a lack of suitable vector systems but also as a result of the different goals involved. For many applications, it is desirable to be able to control gene expression at a particular stage in the growth of a plant or in a particular plant part. For this purpose, regulatory sequences are required which afford the desired initiation of transcription in the appropriate cell types and/or at the appropriate time in the plant's development without having serious detrimental effects on plant development and productivity. It is therefore of interest to be able to isolate sequences which can be used to provide the desired regulation of transcription in a plant cell during the growing cycle of the host plant.
One aspect of this interest is the ability to change the phenotype of particular cell types, such as differentiated epidermal cells that originated in ovary tissue, so as to provide for altered or improved aspects of the mature cell type. In order to effect the desired phenotypic changes, transcription initiation regions capable of initiating transcription in early ovary development are used. These transcription initiation regions are active prior to the onset of pollination and are less active or inactive, before fruit enlargement, tissue maturation, or the like occur.
2. Relevant Literature
Methods and compositions for modulating cytokinin expression in tomato fruit are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,177,307. U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,095 describes ovary tissue transcriptional promoters, including a pZ7 promoter active in ovule integument cells. The disclosure of both patents is hereby incorporated by reference. Neither patent describes a method for modifying a characteristic of cotton fiber quality.
A class of fruit-specific promoters expressed at or during anthesis through fruit development, at least until the beginning of ripening, is discussed in European Application 88.906296.4, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. cDNA clones that are preferentially expressed in cotton fiber have been isolated. One of the clones isolated corresponds to mRNA and protein that are highest during the late primary cell wall and early secondary cell wall synthesis stages. John Crow
Pro. Natl. Acad. Sci.
(1992) 89:5769-5773. cDNA clones from tomato displaying differential expression during fruit development have been isolated and characterized (Mansson et al.,
Mol. Gen. Genet.
(1985) 200:356-361: Slater et al.,
Plant Mol. Biol.
(1985) 5: 137-147). These studies have focused primarily on mRNAs which accumulate during fruit ripening. One of the proteins encoded by the ripening-specific cDNAs has been identified as polygalacturonase (Slater et al.,
Plant Mol. Biol.
(1985) 5:137-147). A cDNA clone which encodes tomato polygalacturonase has been sequenced (Grierson et al.,
Nucleic Acids Research
(1986) 14:8395-8603). Improvements in aspects of tomato fruit storage and handling through transcriptional manipulation of expression of the polygalacturonase gene have been reported (Sheehy et al.,
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.
(1988) 85:8805-8809; Smith et al.,
Nature
(1988) 334: 724-726).
Mature plastid mRNA for psbA (one of the components of photosystem II) reaches its highest level late in fruit development, whereas after the onset of ripening, plastid mRNAs for other components of photosystem I and II decline to nondetectable levels in chromoplasts (Piechulla et al.,
Plant Mol. Biol.
(1986) 7:367-376). Recently, cDNA clones representing genes apparently involved in tomato pollen (McCormick et al.,
Tomato Biotechnology
(1987) Alan R. Liss, Inc., NY) and pistil (Gasser et al.,
Plant Cell
(1989), 1:15-24) interactions have also been isolated and characterized.
Other studies have focused on genes inducibly regulated, e.g. genes encoding serine proteinase inhibitors, which are expressed in response to wounding in tomato (Graham et al.,
J. Biol. Chem.
(1985) 260:6555-6560: Graham et al.,
J. Biol. Chem.
(1985) 260:6561-6554) and on mRNAs correlated with ethylene synthesis in ripening fruit and leaves after wounding (Smith et al.,
Planta
(1986) 168: 94-100). Accumulation of a metallocarboxypeptidase inhibitor protein has been reported in leaves of wounded potato plants (Graham et al.,
Biochem
&
Biophys. Res. Comm.
(1981) 101: 1164-1170; Martineau et al.,
Mol. Gen. Genet.
(1991) 228:281-286).
Genes which are expressed preferentially in plant seed tissues, such as in embryos or seed coats, have also been reported. (See, for example, European Patent Application 87306739.1 (published as 0 255 378 on Feb. 3, 1988) and Kridl et al.,
Seed Science Research
(1991) 1:209-219).
Agrobacterium-mediated cotton transformation is described in Umbeck, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,004,863 and 5,159,135 and cotton transformation by particle bombardment is reported in WO 92/15675, published Sep. 17, 1992. Transformation of Brassica has been described by Radke et al., (
Theor. Appl. Genet.
(1988) 75:685-694;
Plant Cell Reports
(1992) 11:499-505).
Transformation of cultivated tomato is described by McCormick et al.,
Plant Cell Reports
(1986) 5:81-89 and Fillatti et al.,
Bio/Technology
(1987) 5:726-730.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention generally comprises the use of DNA constructs having a transcriptional and translational initiation region functional in ovule integument cells to express a DNA sequence encoding a protein active in the production of a plant growth substance in methods to alter the phenotype of cotton plants and/or cotton fiber cells. The term plant growth substance generally refers to compounds that elicit growth, developmental or metabolic responses in the plant. Such substances are not metabolites in the sense that they are not intermediates or products of the pathways they control, and they are active at very low concentrations. Some are active in promoting growth or development, while others function more as inhibitors of the same. As such, plant growth substances would include such substances as auxins, giberrellins, cytokinins, ethylene and abscissic acid, which are also often referred to as plant hormones.
Proteins active in the production of a plant growth substance could include enzyme involved in the ethylene biosynthesis pathway. A number of such enzymes have been described, including ACC synthase, the ethylene forming enzyme (also referred to as pTOM13), SAM synthase, ACC deaminase and SAM decarboxylase.
The method generally comprises growing a transgenic cotton plant to produce mature ovule tissue, wherein cells of the mature ovule tissue comprise in their genome such a construct. The construct also will have a transcriptional termination region as an additional component. At least one of the components will be exogenous to at least one other of said components, i.e., the construct components do not naturally occur together as a group. Under these circumstances the plant expresses the protein active in the production of a plant growth subst

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Cotton modification using ovary-tissue transcriptional factors does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Cotton modification using ovary-tissue transcriptional factors, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Cotton modification using ovary-tissue transcriptional factors will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2559982