GENE CONFERRING RESISTANCE TO CERCOSPORA BETICOLA IN BEETS
A more efficient breeding against Cercospora leaf spot disease, or the development of new resistant lines, is enabled via the provision of the Cercospora resistance-mediating gene according to the invention; in particular, a dominant resistance effect in the target plant is evoked by the property of the identified gene alone. The Cercospora resistance-mediating gene, and embodiments of the present invention that are described in the preceding, offer additional applications, e.g., the use of the resistant gene allele in cis-genetic or trans-genetic approaches, with the goal of developing new resistant cultivars.
1 - 13 . (canceled)
14 . A plant of the subspecies Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris comprising a nucleic acid molecule encoding a polypeptide that is able to confer resistance to Cercospora beticola in a plant in which the polypeptide is expressed, characterized in that the nucleic acid molecule comprises a nucleotide sequence which is selected from the group consisting of:
(a) a nucleotide sequence that comprises the DNA sequence according to SEQ ID NO: 2;
(b) a nucleotide sequence that comprises the DNA sequence according to SEQ ID NO: 1 or SEQ ID NO: 53; and
(c) a nucleotide sequence that is at least 95% identical to the DNA sequence according to SEQ ID NO: 1 or SEQ ID NO: 2.
15 . The plant according to claim 14 , wherein the plant is a hybrid plant.
16 . The plant according to claim 14 , wherein the plant is a double haploid plant.
17 . The plant according to claim 14 , wherein the resistance is dominant.
18 . The plant according to claim 14 , wherein the plant comprises the nucleic acid molecule homozygous.
19 . The plant according to claim 14 , wherein the plant comprises the nucleic acid molecule as an introgression.
20 . The plant according to claim 14 , wherein the plant is a variety.
21 . A storage organ of the plant of the subspecies Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris according to claim 14 .
22 . A seed of the plant according to claim 14 , wherein the seed comprises the nucleic acid molecule.
23 . A seed according to claim 22 , wherein the seed has been primed.
24 . The plant according to claim 15 , wherein the plant has tolerance to at least one herbicide.
25 . The plant according to claim 24 , wherein the at least one herbicide is selected from the group consisting of: glyphosate, ALS-inhibitor herbicide and glufosinate.
26 . The plant according to claim 25 , wherein the tolerance to glyphosate is obtainable from deposition NCIMB 41158 or NCIMB 41159 and/or wherein the tolerance to an ALS-inhibitor herbicide is obtainable from deposition NCIMWB 41705.
27 . The plant according to claim 25 , wherein the tolerance to glyphosate is conferred by a DNA fragment selected from the list consisting of:
a) a DNA fragment of the genomic DNA of the plant or portions thereof which may be amplified via polymerase chain reaction with a first primer that has the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 81, and a second primer that has the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 82, wherein the DNA fragment is at least 95% identical to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 83, and/or
b) a DNA fragment of the genomic DNA of the plant or portions thereof which may be amplified via polymerase chain reaction with a first primer that has the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 84, and a second primer that has the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 85, wherein the DNA fragment is at least 95% identical to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 86, and/or
c) a DNA fragment of the genomic DNA of the plant or portions thereof which may be amplified via polymerase chain reaction with a first primer that has the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 87, and a second primer that has the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 88, wherein the DNA fragment is at least 95% identical to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 89.
28 . The plant according to claim 25 , wherein the tolerance to an ALS-inhibitor herbicide is conferred by an acetolactate synthase gene encoding an acetolactate synthase protein which, as a result of a mutation, has at position 569 a different amino acid than tryptophan.
29 . The plant according to claim 25 , wherein the mutated acetolactate synthase gene comprises the sequence according to SEQ ID No. 91.
30 . A method for identifying a Cercospora beticola -resistant plant of the subspecies Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris according to claim 14 , the method comprising:
(i) detection of the presence and/or expression of the nucleic acid molecule in the plant or a portion of the plant; and/or
(ii) detection of at least one marker locus in the nucleotide sequence of the nucleic acid molecule or in a cosegregating region thereof, and
(iii) selection of the Cercospora beticola -resistant plant,
wherein step (i) and/or step (ii) use sequence-specific amplification and/or detection of amplified variable sequences of the plant genome.
31 . The method according to claim 30 , wherein the detection in step (i) or (ii) involves oligonucleotides linked to a fluorescent dye in order to generate a fluorescence signal.
32 . The method according to claim 30 , wherein the fluorescent dye is selected from the group consisting of: FAM, AlexaFluor, ATTO, Dabcyl, HEX, Rox, TET, Texas Red, and Yakima Yellow.
33 . A method for farming of plants of the subspecies Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris, the mthod comprising:
(i) the planting of a seed according to claim 22 , and
(ii) cultivation of the plants from (i) or descendants thereof,
wherein the method counteracts an infestation of the cultivated plants with Cercospora.
34 . A method for producing Cercospora resistant plants of the subspecies Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris according to claim 14 , the method comprising:
(i) introducing the nucleic acid molecule into the plant;
(ii) expressing the polypeptide that is able to confer resistance to Cercospora beticola ; and
(iii) cultivating the plant of step (i).
35 . A method of producing an agronomical sugar beet plant of the genus Beta that displays improved resistance to Cercospora beticola , the method comprising introgressing into said plant a chromosomal interval that confers resistance to Cercospora beticola , wherein the chromosomal interval maps to a position between a sequence represented by a marker selected from the group consisting of: s4p4293s01 and s4p4295s01 and a sequence represented by a marker selected from the group consisting of: s4p4301s01 and sxh0678s01,
wherein the chromosomal interval comprises a nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide that is able to confer resistance to Cercospora beticola in a plant in which the polypeptide is expressed wherein the nucleotide sequence is selected from the group consisting of:
(a) a nucleotide sequence that comprises the DNA sequence according to SEQ ID NO: 2;
(b) a nucleotide sequence that comprises the DNA sequence according to SEQ ID NO: 1 or SEQ ID NO: 53; and
(c) a nucleotide sequence that is at least 95% identical to the DNA sequence according to SEQ ID NO: 1 or SEQ ID NO: 2.