Plants having enhanced yield-related traits and a method for making the same

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to the field of molecular biology and concerns a method for enhancing yield-related traits in plants by modulating expression in a plant of a nucleic acid encoding an SGT1 polypeptide, or a CLC-pKG polypeptide, or a HD-hydrolase-like polypeptide. The present invention also concerns plants having modulated expression of a nucleic acid encoding an SGT1 polypeptide, or a CLC-pKG polypeptide, or a HD-hydrolase-like polypeptide, which plants have enhanced yield-related traits relative to corresponding wild type plants or other control plants. The invention also provides constructs useful in the methods of the invention.

1 . A method for enhancing a yield-related trait in a plant relative to a control plant, comprising modulating expression in a plant of a nucleic acid encoding a CLC-pKG polypeptide, wherein said CLC-pKG polypeptide comprises a Voltage_CLC domain and a CBS domain, and optionally a USP domain. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said CLC-pKG polypeptide comprises a domain having at least 25% sequence identity to:
 (i) the Voltage_CLC domain of SEQ ID NO: 54 located between amino acids 77 and 422 of SEQ ID NO: 54;   (ii) the CBS domain of SEQ ID NO: 54 located between amino acids 455 to 510 or 516 to 571 of SEQ ID NO: 54; and optionally   (iii) the USP domain of SEQ ID NO: 54 located between amino acids 597-731 of SEQ ID NO: 54.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said modulated expression is effected by introducing and expressing in a plant a genetic construct comprising a nucleic acid encoding said CLC-pKG polypeptide. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said nucleic acid encodes any one of the proteins listed in Table A2 or is a portion of such a nucleic acid, or a nucleic acid capable of hybridizing with such a nucleic acid. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said nucleic acid encodes an orthologue or paralogue of any of the proteins given in Table A2. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said nucleic acid is selected from the group consisting of:
 (i) a nucleic acid comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 53;   (ii) a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 54; and   (iii) a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having at least 80% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 54.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said enhanced yield-related trait comprises increased yield, increased biomass, and/or increased seed yield relative to a control plant. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said enhanced yield-related trait is obtained under non-stress conditions or under conditions of drought stress, or salt stress. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein said nucleic acid is operably linked to a constitutive promoter, a RCc3 promoter, or a RCc3 promoter from rice. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said nucleic acid is of cyanobacterial origin, from  Synechosystis  species, or from  Synechocystis  sp. PCC 6803. 
     
     
         11 . A plant obtained by the method of  claim 1 , or a plant cell, plant part, seed, or progeny thereof, wherein said plant, or said plant cell, plant part, seed, or progeny thereof, comprises a recombinant nucleic acid encoding said CLC-pKG polypeptide. 
     
     
         12 . A construct comprising:
 (i) a nucleic acid encoding a CLC-pKG polypeptide as defined in  claim 1 ;   (ii) one or more heterologous control sequences capable of driving expression of the nucleic acid of (i); and optionally   (iii) a transcription termination sequence.   
     
     
         13 . The construct of  claim 12 , wherein one of said control sequences is a constitutive promoter, a RCc3 promoter, or a RCc3 promoter from rice. 
     
     
         14 . A method for making a plant having increased yield, increased biomass, and/or increased seed yield relative to a control plant, comprising transforming the construct of  claim 12  into a plant, plant cell or plant part. 
     
     
         15 . A plant, plant part or plant cell comprising the construct of  claim 12 . 
     
     
         16 . A method for the production of a transgenic plant having increased yield, increased biomass, and/or increased seed yield relative to a control plant, comprising:
 (i) introducing and expressing in a plant a nucleic acid encoding a CLC-pKG polypeptide as defined in  claim 1 ; and   (ii) cultivating the plant under conditions promoting plant growth and development.   
     
     
         17 . A transgenic plant having increased yield, increased biomass, and/or increased seed yield relative to a control plant, resulting from modulated expression of a recombinant nucleic acid encoding a CLC-pKG polypeptide as defined in  claim 1 , or a transgenic plant cell derived from said transgenic plant. 
     
     
         18 . The transgenic plant of  claim 17 , or a transgenic plant cell derived thereof, wherein said plant is a crop plant, a monocot or a cereal, or wherein said plant is rice, maize, wheat, barley, millet, rye, triticale, sorghum emmer, spelt, secale, einkorn, teff, milo or oats. 
     
     
         19 . Harvestable parts of the transgenic plant of  claim 17 , wherein said harvestable parts comprise a recombinant nucleic acid encoding said CLC-pKG polypeptide. 
     
     
         20 . Products derived from the transgenic plant of  claim 17  and/or from harvestable parts of said plant, wherein said products comprise a recombinant nucleic acid encoding said CLC-pKG polypeptide.