Temporal seed promoters for expressing genes in plants
View Patent ↗The present invention relates to the field of plant genetic engineering. More specifically, the present invention relates to seed specific gene expression during a defined period of embryogenesis. The present invention provides promoters capable of transcribing heterologous nucleic acid sequences in seeds, and methods of modifying, producing, and using the same.
1. A nucleic acid construct comprising a promoter operably linked to a second nucleic acid, wherein the promoter and second nucleic acid are heterologous with respect to each other, and wherein the promoter comprises SEQ ID NO:3, or the complement thereof.
2. A plant comprising the nucleic acid construct of claim 1 .
3. The plant of claim 2 , wherein said second nucleic acid is a structural nucleic acid.
4. The plant of claim 3 , wherein said structural nucleic acid encodes a protein selected from the group consisting of a seed storage protein, a fatty acid pathway enzyme, a tocopherol biosynthetic enzyme, an amino acid biosynthetic enzyme, a steroid pathway enzyme, and a starch branching enzyme.
5. The plant of claim 3 , wherein said structural nucleic acid encodes a protein selected from the group consisting of anthranilate synthase, tryptophan decarboxylase, threonine deaminase, and aspartate kinase.
6. The plant of claim 3 , wherein said structural nucleic acid encodes a starch branching enzyme.
7. The plant of claim 3 , wherein said structural nucleic acid is oriented to express an antisense RNA molecule.
8. The plant of claim 2 , wherein said plant is selected from the group consisting of canola, crambe, mustard, castor bean, sesame, cottonseed, linseed, maize, soybean, Arabidopsis phaseolus , peanut, alfalfa, wheat, rice, oat, sorghum, rapeseed, rye, tritordeum, millet, fescue, perennial ryegrass, sugarcane, cranberry, papaya, banana, safflower, oil palms, flax, muskmelon, apple, cucumber, dendrobium, gladiolus, chrysanthemum, liliacea, cotton, eucalyptus, sunflower, Brassica campestris, Brassica napus , turfgrass, sugarbeet, coffee, and dioscorea.
9. The plant of claim 2 , wherein said plant is soybean.
10. The plant of claim 3 , wherein said structural nucleic acid is expressed in an organ specific manner.
11. The plant of claim 10 , wherein said structural nucleic acid is expressed in a seed.
12. A method of producing a transformed plant comprising: (a) providing the nucleic acid construct of claim 1 , wherein said second nucleic acid is a structural nucleic acid; and (b) transforming a plant with said nucleic acid construct.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein said plant produces a seed and said structural nucleic acid is transcribed in said seed.
14. A meal comprising the plant of claim 11 .
15. A feedstock comprising the plant of claim 11 .
16. A cell containing the nucleic acid construct of claim 1 .
17. The cell according to claim 16 , wherein said cell is selected from the group consisting of a bacterial cell, a mammalian cell, an insect cell, a plant cell, and a fungal cell.
18. The cell according to claim 17 , wherein said cell is Agrobacterium tumefaciens.
19. A seed generated by a plant containing the nucleic acid construct of claim 1 .
20. A method for expressing a structural nucleic acid in a plant, comprising: (a) transforming said plant with a nucleic acid molecule comprising a promoter operably linked to said structural nucleic acid, wherein said promoter comprises a polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 3, and complements thereof, and wherein said promoter and said structural nucleic acid are heterologous with respect to each other; and (b) growing said plant.
21. The method of claim 20 , wherein said structural nucleic acid is in the anti-sense orientation.
22. A method of accumulating free amino acids in a seed of a plant, comprising: (a) transforming said plant with the nucleic acid construct of claim 1 , wherein the second nucleic acid encodes an amino acid biosynthesis gene, and wherein said promoter and said second nucleic acid are heterologous with respect to each other; and (b) growing said plant.
23. A method of controlling the germination of a soybean seed, comprising (a) transforming a plant with the nucleic acid construct of claim 1 , wherein the second nucleic acid encodes a gibberellin biosynthetic polypeptide, and wherein said promoter and said second nucleic acid are heterologous with respect to each other; (b) growing said plant; (c) harvesting seed from said plant; and (d) planting said seed.