Modulation of receptor-like kinases for promotion of plant growth
The invention provides the disclosure of a novel plant growth pathway involving several receptor like kinases. The pathway was shown to work largely independent of brassinosteroids and involves several members of the CrRLK1L family of receptor kinases. According to the invention, HERK1, HERK2, FER, THE1 and the brassinosteroid BES1 may be modulated to influence plant growth and elongation. The invention includes methods, and transformed plants, cells tissues and seeds with increased cellular elongation and other related yield traits.
1 . A genetically modified plant having increased plant growth and cellular elongation comprising a heterologous polynucleotide sequence which encodes a HERK1 and or HERK2 polypeptide operably linked to a promoter sequence, wherein said modified plant has increased plant growth and cellular elongation when compared to a nonmodified plant.
2 . Seed of the plant of claim 1 .
3 . A method for increasing plant growth and cellular elongation comprising:
modulating the activity of a HERK receptor kinase in a plant.
4 . The method of claim 3 wherein said HERK receptor kinase activity is selected from the group consisting of one or more of: HERK1 and HERK2.
5 . The method of claim 1 wherein said HERK activity is increased.
6 . The method of claim 5 wherein said HERK activity is increased by increasing the expression of an HERK1 or HERK2 nucleic acid.
7 . The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of:
introducing into the plant an expression cassette comprising a HERK1 or HERK2 nucleic acid operably linked to a promoter that functions in plants.
8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the expression cassette is introduced by a method selected from one of the following: electroporation, micro-projectile bombardment and Agrobacterium -mediated transfer.
9 . The method of claim 7 wherein the promoter that functions in plants is a tissue-preferred promoter, tissue-specific promoter or an inducible promoter.
10 . The method of claim 3 wherein the plant is Arabidopsis , wheat, rice, sorghum, barley, oat, lawn grass, rye, soybean, canola, Brassica , sunflower, maize, sorghum, alfalfa, cotton, millet, peanut or cacao.
11 . The method of claim 7 wherein said HERK1 is SEQ ID NO:1.
12 . The method of claim 7 wherein said HERK2 is SEQ ID NO:2.
13 . A method for increasing vegetative plant growth and cellular elongation comprising:
modulating the activity of FER and or THE1.
14 . The method of claim 13 wherein said FER and/or THE1 activity is increased.
15 . The method of claim 14 wherein said FER and/or THE1 activity is increased by increasing the expression of an FER and/or THE1 nucleic acid.
16 . The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of:
introducing into the plant an expression cassette comprising a FER or THE1 nucleic acid operably linked to a promoter that functions in plants.
17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the expression cassette is introduced by a method selected from one of the following: electroporation, micro-projectile bombardment and Agrobacterium -mediated transfer.
18 . The method of claim 16 wherein the promoter that functions in plants is a tissue-preferred promoter, tissue-specific promoter or an inducible promoter.
19 . The method of claim 13 wherein the plant is Arabidopsis , wheat, rice, sorghum, barley, oat, lawn grass, rye, soybean, canola, Brassica , sunflower, maize, sorghum, alfalfa, cotton, millet, peanut or cacao.
20 . The method of claim 13 wherein said FER is SEQ ID NO:5.
21 . The method of claim 13 wherein said HERK2 is SEQ ID NO:2.
22 . A method for increasing plant growth comprising,
introducing to said plant an expression construct comprising one of more of the following sequences selected from the group consisting of:
(a) a nucleic acid comprising the polynucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:1 or SEQ ID NO:3, or a complete complement thereof;
(b) a nucleic acid comprising at least 90% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:1 or SEQ ID NO:3, or a complete complement thereof;
(c) a nucleic acid encoding the polypeptide sequence of SEQ ID NO:2 or a polypeptide sequence at least 95% identical to SEQ ID NO:4; wherein said sequences are operable linked to a promoter.
23 . The method of claim 22 wherein said promoter is a tissue specific promoter.
24 . A genetically modified plant having plant host defense comprising a heterologous polynucleotide sequence which encodes a HERK1 and or HERK2 polypeptide operably linked to a promoter sequence, wherein said modified plant has increased plant defense when compared to a nonmodified plant.
25 . Seed of the plant of claim 24 .
26 . A method for increasing plant host defense against bacterial infection comprising:
modulating the activity of a HERK receptor kinase in a plant.
27 . The method of claim 26 wherein said HERK receptor kinase activity is selected from the group consisting of one or more of: HERK1 and HERK2.
28 . The method of claim 26 wherein said HERK activity is increased.
29 . The method of claim 28 wherein said HERK activity is increased by increasing the expression of an HERK1 or HERK2 nucleic acid.
30 . The method of claim 26 further comprising the step of:
introducing into the plant an expression cassette comprising a HERK1 or HERK2 nucleic acid operably linked to a promoter that functions in plants.
31 . The method of claim 30 , wherein the expression cassette is introduced by a method selected from one of the following: electroporation, micro-projectile bombardment and Agrobacterium -mediated transfer.
32 . The method of claim 30 wherein the promoter that functions in plants is a tissue-preferred promoter, tissue-specific promoter or an inducible promoter.
33 . The method of claim 26 wherein the plant is Arabidopsis , wheat, rice, sorghum, barley, oat, lawn grass, rye, soybean, canola, Brassica , sunflower, maize, sorghum, alfalfa, cotton, millet, peanut or cacao.
34 . The method of claim 30 wherein said HERK1 is SEQ ID NO:1.
35 . The method of claim 30 wherein said HERK2 is SEQ ID NO:2.