Protein Kinase Stress-Related Polypeptides and Methods of Use in Plants

Abstract

A transgenic plant transformed by a Protein Kinase Stress-Related Polypeptide (PKSRP) coding nucleic acid, wherein expression of the nucleic acid sequence in the plant results in increased tolerance to environmental stress as compared to a wild type variety of the plant. Also provided are agricultural products, including seeds, produced by the transgenic plants. Also provided are isolated PKSRPs, and isolated nucleic acid coding PKSRPs, and vectors and host cells containing the latter.

1 . A transgenic plant cell transformed with an isolated polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of:
 a) a polynucleotide sequence comprising nucleotides 1 to 2400 of SEQ ID NO:19; and   b) a polynucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide comprising amino acids 1 to 716 of SEQ ID NO:20.   
     
     
         2 . The plant cell of  claim 1 , wherein the polynucleotide has the sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:19. 
     
     
         3 . The plant cell of  claim 1 , wherein the polynucleotide encodes the polypeptide having the sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:20. 
     
     
         4 . A transgenic plant transformed with an isolated polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of:
 a) a polynucleotide sequence comprising nucleotides 1 to 2400 of SEQ ID NO:19; and   b) a polynucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide comprising amino acids 1 to 716 of SEQ ID NO:20.   
     
     
         5 . The transgenic plant of  claim 4 , wherein the polynucleotide has the sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:19. 
     
     
         6 . The transgenic plant of  claim 4 , wherein polynucleotide encodes the polypeptide having the sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:20. 
     
     
         7 . The transgenic plant of  claim 4 , further defined as a monocot. 
     
     
         8 . The plant of  claim 4 , further defined as a dicot. 
     
     
         9 . The transgenic plant of  claim 4 , wherein the plant is selected from the group consisting of maize, wheat, rye, oat, triticale, rice, barley, soybean, peanut, cotton, rapeseed, canola, manihot, pepper, sunflower, tagetes, potato, tobacco, eggplant, tomato,  Vicia  species, pea, alfalfa, coffee, cacao, tea,  Salix  species, oil palm, coconut, perennial grasses, and a forage crop plant. 
     
     
         10 . The transgenic plant of  claim 9 , which is maize. 
     
     
         11 . The transgenic plant of  claim 9 , which is soybean. 
     
     
         12 . The transgenic plant of  claim 9 , which is cotton. 
     
     
         13 . The transgenic plant of  claim 9 , which is rapeseed or canola. 
     
     
         14 . A seed which is true breeding for a transgene comprising a polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of:
 a) a polynucleotide sequence comprising nucleotides 1 to 2400 of SEQ ID NO:19; and   b) a polynucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide comprising amino acids 1 to 716 of SEQ ID NO:20.   
     
     
         15 . The seed of  claim 14 , wherein the polynucleotide has the sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:19. 
     
     
         16 . The seed of  claim 14 , wherein the polynucleotide encodes the polypeptide having the sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:20. 
     
     
         17 . An isolated nucleic acid comprising a polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of:
 a) a polynucleotide sequence comprising nucleotides 1 to 2400 of SEQ ID NO:19; and   b) a polynucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide comprising amino acids 1 to 716 of SEQ ID NO:20.   
     
     
         18 . The isolated nucleic acid of  claim 17 , wherein the polynucleotide has the sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:19. 
     
     
         19 . The isolated nucleic acid of  claim 17 , wherein the polynucleotide encodes the polypeptide having the sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:20. 
     
     
         20 . A method of producing a drought-tolerant transgenic plant, the method comprising the steps of:
 a) transforming a plant cell with an expression vector comprising a polynucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide comprising amino acids 1 to 716 of SEQ ID NO:20;   b) growing the transformed plant cell to generate transgenic plants; and   c) screening the transgenic plants generated in step b) to identify a transgenic plant that expresses the polypeptide and exhibits increased tolerance to drought stress as compared to a wild type variety of the plant.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the polynucleotide sequence comprises nucleotides 1 to 2400 of SEQ ID NO:19.