Geminivirus Resistant Transgenic Plants

Abstract

Transgenic plants with increased resistance to geminivirus infection, and nucleic acid constructs useful in producing such plants, are described. The transgenic plants express a mutant AL1/C1 geminivirus protein, which increases resistance to infection by at least one geminivirus, compared to a non-transformed control plant.

1 . A plant comprising transformed plant cells, said transformed plant cells comprising a heterologous nucleic acid construct encoding a mutant protein, wherein said heterologous nucleic acid construct comprises the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:101. 
     
     
         2 . The plant of  claim 1 , wherein said plant has increased tolerance or resistance to infection by a geminivirus as compared to a plant lacking said heterologous nucleic acid construct. 
     
     
         3 . The plant of  claim 2 , wherein said plant has increased tolerance or resistance to infection by a geminivirus selected from the group consisting of tomato golden mosaic virus, tomato mottle virus, tomato yellow leaf curl virus, tomato leaf curl virus, African cassaya mosaic virus, Indian cassaya mosaic virus, potato yellow mosaic virus, bean golden mosaic virus, bean dwarf mosaic virus, squash leaf curl virus, Texas pepper virus, cotton leaf curl virus and beet curly top virus. 
     
     
         4 . The plant of  claim 1 , further comprising a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:28 (Ala1), SEQ ID NO:32 (Ala5), SEQ ID NO:33 (Ala6), SEQ ID NO:34 (Ala7), SEQ ID NO:36 (Ala9), SEQ ID NO:26 (Ala13), SEQ ID NO:38 (Leu), SEQ ID NO:29 (Ala2), SEQ ID NO:30 (Ala3), SEQ ID NO:31 (Ala4), SEQ ID NO:39 (Ala4+5), SEQ ID NO:27 (Ala14), SEQ ID NO:35 (Ala8), and SEQ ID NO:37 (Ala10) or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         5 . A plant according to  claim 1 , wherein said plant is selected from the group consisting of tomato, cassaya, potato, bean, squash and beet. 
     
     
         6 . A plant according to  claim 1 , wherein said plant is of the family Solanaceae. 
     
     
         7 . A plant according to  claim 1 , wherein said plant is a tomato plant and has increased resistance or tolerance to infection by tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV). 
     
     
         8 . A method of combating geminivirus infection in an agricultural field, comprising planting the field with a crop of plants according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         9 . A method of making the transgenic plant of  claim 1 , comprising:
 a) transforming a cell of a plant with a heterologous nucleic acid construct encoding a mutant rep protein, wherein said heterologous nucleic acid construct comprises a the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:101; and   b) regenerating the transgenic plant from said transformed plant cell.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the heterologous nucleic acid construct further comprises a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:28 (Ala1), SEQ ID NO:32 (Ala5), SEQ ID NO:33 (Ala6), SEQ ID NO:34 (Ala7), SEQ ID NO:36 (Ala9), SEQ ID NO:26 (Ala13), SEQ ID NO:38 (Leu), SEQ ID NO:29 (Ala2), SEQ ID NO:30 (Ala3), SEQ ID NO:31 (Ala4), SEQ ID NO:39 (Ala4+5), SEQ ID NO:27 (Ala14), SEQ ID NO:35 (Ala8), and SEQ ID NO:37 (Ala10) or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         11 . An isolated nucleic acid comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding a mutant protein, wherein said nucleotide sequence is SEQ ID NO:101. 
     
     
         12 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 1 , further comprising a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:28 (Ala1), SEQ ID NO:32 (Ala5), SEQ ID NO:33 (Ala6), SEQ ID NO:34 (Ala7), SEQ ID NO:36 (Ala9), SEQ ID NO:26 (Ala13), SEQ ID NO:38 (Leu), SEQ ID NO:29 (Ala2), SEQ ID NO:30 (Ala3), SEQ ID NO:31 (Ala4), SEQ ID NO:39 (Ala4+5), SEQ ID NO:27 (Ala14), SEQ ID NO:35 (Ala8), and SEQ ID NO:37 (Ala10) or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         13 . A vector comprising the nucleic acid construct of  claim 11 . 
     
     
         14 . A vector comprising the nucleic acid construct of  claim 12 . 
     
     
         15 . A cell comprising the vector of  claim 13 . 
     
     
         16 . A cell comprising the vector of  claim 14 . 
     
     
         17 . Seed or progeny of the plant of  claim 1 , which seed or progeny comprises said nucleic acid construct. 
     
     
         18 . Seed or progeny of the plant of  claim 4 , which seed or progeny comprises said nucleic acid construct. 
     
     
         19 - 20 . (canceled)