Control of fruit dehiscence in Arabidopsis by indehiscenti genes

Abstract

The present invention provides methods and compositions that modulate fruit dehiscence in plants.

1 . An isolated nucleic acid comprising a mutant allele of the IND1 polynucleotide sequence encoding a mutant IND1 polypeptide which is at least 60% identical to SEQ ID NO:2 said mutant IND1 having reduced activity in plants when compared to the activity of the IND1 polypeptide.  
     
     
         2 . The isolated nucleic acid according to  claim 1 , wherein said mutant IND1 polypeptide has a change of an amino acid in the basic Helix-loop-helix (bHLH) domain of said mutant IND1 polypeptide.  
     
     
         3 . The isolated nucleic acid according to  claim 2 , wherein said mutant IND1 has a change of an amino acid located at a conserved position within said bHLH domain.  
     
     
         4 . The isolated nucleic acid according to  claim 2 , wherein said mutant IND1 is a truncated polypeptide which does not comprise said bHLH domain.  
     
     
         5 . The isolated nucleic acid according to  claim 1 , wherein said mutant IND i has an amino acid change in the domain corresponding to amino acid sequence between position 118 to position 168 of SEQ ID NO:2.  
     
     
         6 . The isolated nucleic acid according to  claim 1 , wherein said mutant IND1 has an amino acid change at a position corresponding to leucine 141 or arginine 128 of SEQ ID NO:2.  
     
     
         7 . An isolated nucleic acid comprising a mutant allele of the IND1 polynucleotide sequence encoding which is at least 95% identical to SEQ ID NO:1 wherein said mutant allele does not encode a functional IND1 polynucleotide sequence.  
     
     
         8 . A plant comprising a mutant allele of the IND1 polynucleotide sequence encoding a mutant IND1 polypeptide which is at least 60% identical to SEQ ID NO:2 said mutant IND1 having reduced activity in plants when compared to the activity of the IND1 polypeptide.  
     
     
         9 . The plant according to  claim 8 , wherein said mutant IND1 polypeptide has a change of an amino acid in the bHLH domain of said mutant IND1 polypeptide.  
     
     
         10 . The plant according to  claim 9 , wherein said mutant IND1 has a change of an amino acid located at a conserved position within said bHLH domain.  
     
     
         11 . The plant according to  claim 9 , wherein said mutant IND1 is a truncated polypeptide which does not comprise said bHLH domain.  
     
     
         12 . The plant according to  claim 8 , wherein said mutant IND1 has an amino acid change in an amino acid domain corresponding to an amino acid domain having the amino acid sequence between position 118 to position 168 of SEQ ID NO:2.  
     
     
         13 . The plant according to  claim 8 , wherein said mutant IND1 has an amino acid change at a position corresponding to leucine 141 or arginine 128 of SEQ ID NO:2.  
     
     
         14 . A plant comprising a mutant allele of the IND1 polynucleotide sequence encoding which is at least 95% identical to SEQ ID NO:1 wherein said mutant allele does not encode a functional IND1 polynucleotide sequence.  
     
     
         15 . The plant according to  claim 1 , wherein said plant exhibits delayed fruit dehiscence.  
     
     
         16 . A method of delaying fruit dehiscence in a plant comprising the steps of 
 a. treating seeds or plant material with a mutagenic chemical substance or with ionizing radiation;    b. identifying plants with a mutant allele of IND1 wherein said mutant allele of IND1 encodes a polypeptide having at least 60% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2 and wherein said polypeptide comprises an amino acid substitution, addition or deletion in a region corresponding to a basic helix-loop-helix domain of SEQ ID NO:2.