IP Library Granted Patent US 10,407,670
Granted Patent B2
US 10,407,670 · App. 15/328,133 · Granted Sep 10, 2019

Compositions and methods for increasing plant growth and yield using rice promoters

Inventors: Thomas P. Brutnell (St. Louis, MO); Douglas W. Bryant (St. Louis, MO); Todd Christopher Mockler (St. Louis, MO); Lin Wang (Grover, MO)
Assignee: BENSON HILL BIOSYSTEMS, INC.
C12N9/16C07K14/415C12N15/8222C12N15/8223C12N15/8243C12Y301/03037
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,407,670
App. No.
15/328,133
Granted
Sep 10, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

Compositions and methods for improving plant growth are provided herein. Compositions comprise promoter sequences that direct expression of an operably linked nucleotide in a developmentally regulated manner. Polynucleotides, polypeptides, and expression constructs for expressing genes of interest whose expression may improve agronomic properties including but not limited to crop yield, biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, and early vigor, plants comprising the polynucleotides, polypeptides, and expression constructs, and methods of producing transgenic plants are also provided.

Claims (22)

1. A method of expressing a gene of interest in a plant comprising transforming a plant cell with a DNA construct comprising a promoter sequence, wherein said promoter sequence comprises the nucleic acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 3, and wherein said promoter sequence is operably linked to a second nucleic acid sequence encoding a functional protein, and regenerating a transformed plant.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said second nucleic acid sequence encodes a protein involved in photosynthesis.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said second nucleic acid encodes an enzyme with sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase activity.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said second nucleic acid comprises the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 or a sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence encodes the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2.

6. The method of claim 1 where the transformed plant is a monocotyledonous plant.

7. The method of claim 1 where the transformed plant is a dicotyledonous plant.

8. A DNA construct comprising, in operable linkage,

a. a promoter that functions in the plant cell,

b. a nucleic acid sequence encoding a protein involved in photosynthesis,

wherein said promoter comprises the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 3, and wherein said promoter is heterologous to said nucleic acid sequence encoding a protein involved in photosynthesis.

9. The DNA construct of claim 8 , wherein the nucleic acid sequence encoding a protein involved in photosynthesis comprises the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1.

10. The DNA construct of claim 8 , wherein the nucleic acid sequence encoding a protein involved in photosynthesis encodes the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2.

11. A transformed plant comprising a DNA construct comprising a promoter that functions in a plant cell, wherein said promoter comprises the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 3, and wherein said promoter is operably linked to a nucleic acid sequence encoding a protein involved in photosynthesis, and wherein said promoter is heterologous to said nucleic acid sequence encoding a protein involved in photosynthesis.

12. The transformed plant of claim 11 wherein said protein involved in photosynthesis is encoded by the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1.

13. The transformed plant of claim 11 wherein said protein involved in photosynthesis comprises the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2.

14. A method of modulating the growth of a plant comprising inserting into the nuclear genome of a plant cell a promoter sequence upstream of a photosynthetic gene of interest to alter the expression of a said photosynthetic gene, wherein said promoter sequence comprises the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 3.

15. The method of claim 14 in which the photosynthetic gene encodes a protein with sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase activity.

16. A DNA construct comprising a promoter sequence, said promoter sequence comprising the nucleic acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 3, wherein said promoter sequence is operably linked to a nucleotide of interest encoding a protein involved in photosynthesis and wherein said promoter sequence and said nucleotide of interest are heterologous to each other.

17. The DNA construct of claim 16 , wherein said nucleotide of interest encodes an enzyme having sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase activity.

18. The DNA construct of claim 17 , wherein said enzyme having sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase activity shares at least 95% identity with the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:2.

19. Transformed seed of the plant of claim 11 .

Assignments (7)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 12, 2025
From: BENSON HILL, INC.; BENSON HILL HOLDINGS, INC.; BENSON HILL FRESH, LLC; BENSON HILL SEEDS HOLDING, INC.; BHB HOLDINGS, LLC; J&J SOUTHERN FARMS, INC.; BENSON HILL SEEDS, INC.
To: CONFLUENCE GENETICS, LLC
Reel/Frame 071578/0432 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 30, 2025
From: BENSON HILL, INC.; BENSON HILL HOLDINGS, INC.; BENSON HILL FRESH, LLC; BENSON HILL SEEDS HOLDING, INC.; BENSON HILL SEEDS, INC.; BHB HOLDINGS, LLC; J&J SOUTHERN FARMS, LLC
To: CONFLUENCE GENETICS, LLC
Reel/Frame 071982/0368 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 14, 2024
From: AVENUE VENTURE OPPORTUNITIES FUND, L.P.
To: BENSON HILL HOLDINGS, INC.
Reel/Frame 066460/0961 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jan 18, 2023
From: BENSON HILL, INC.
To: AVENUE VENTURE OPPORTUNITIES FUND, L.P.
Reel/Frame 062404/0643 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Oct 4, 2021
From: VENTURE LENDING & LEASING VIII, INC.; VENTURE LENDING & LEASING IX, INC.
To: BENSON HILL, INC.
Reel/Frame 057696/0136 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 5, 2020
From: BENSON HILL, INC.
To: VENTURE LENDING & LEASING VIII, INC.; VENTURE LENDING & LEASING IX, INC.
Reel/Frame 051830/0284 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 9, 2019
From: BRUTNELL, THOMAS P.; BRYANT, DOUGLAS W.; MOCKLER, TODD CHRISTOPHER; WANG, LIN
To: BENSON HILL BIOSYSTEMS, INC.
Reel/Frame 049131/0623 →
Continuity (3)
Provisional Application 62029068 · Jul 25, 2014
Related Publication 20170218387A1 · Aug 3, 2017
Related Publication 20180030467A9 · Feb 1, 2018