Means and Methods to Induce Apomixis in Plants

Abstract

The present invention relates to nucleic acid molecules for use in inducing apomixis in a plant, transgenic cells, in particular transgenic plant cells, comprising said nucleic acid molecule, transgenic plants, in particular plant seeds, comprising said nucleic acid molecule, methods for inducing apomixis in a plant, methods for the production of apomictic plants and uses thereof.

1 . An isolated nucleic acid molecule for use in inducing apomixis in a plant comprising a polynucleotide, which is selected from the group consisting of
 a) the polynucleotide defined in any one of SEQ ID No. 22 to 62, or a fully complementary strand thereof,   b) a polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide with the amino acid sequence defined in any one of SEQ ID No. 1 to 21 or a fully complementary strand thereof, and   c) a polynucleotide variant having a degree of sequence identity of more than 70% to the nucleic acid sequence defined in a) or b), or a fully complementary strand thereof.   
     
     
         2 . The isolated nucleic acid molecule of  claim 1 , which comprises a polynucleotide coding for a protein with exonuclease activity, which polynucleotide is selected from the group consisting of
 a1) the polynucleotide defined in any one of SEQ ID No. 22 to 54, or a fully complementary strand thereof,   b1) a polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide with the amino acid sequence defined in any one of SEQ ID No. 1 to 21 or a fully complementary strand thereof, and   c1) a polynucleotide variant having a degree of sequence identity of more than 70% to the nucleic acid sequence defined in a1) or b1), or a fully complementary strand thereof.   
     
     
         3 . The isolated nucleic acid molecule of  claim 2 , wherein the polynucleotide comprises a nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of
 a2) the polynucleotide defined in any one of SEQ ID No. 22, 23, 27, 28, 32, 33 or a fully complementary strand thereof,   b2) a polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide with the amino acid sequence defined in any one of SEQ ID No. 4, 5, 6 or a fully complementary strand thereof, and   c2) a polynucleotide variant having a degree of sequence identity of more than 70% to the nucleic acid sequence defined in a2) or b2), or a fully complementary strand thereof.   
     
     
         4 . The isolated nucleic acid molecule of  claim 1 , which comprises a polynucleotide which polynucleotide is able to act as a regulatory element and is selected from the group consisting of
 a3) the polynucleotide defined in any one of SEQ ID No. 55 to 62 or 65 or a fully complementary strand thereof and   b3) a polynucleotide variant having a degree of sequence identity of more than 70% to the nucleic acid sequence defined in a3), or a fully complementary strand thereof.   
     
     
         5 . A vector comprising the nucleic acid molecule of any one of  claims 1  to  4 . 
     
     
         6 . The vector of  claim 5 , wherein the nucleic acid molecule of any one of  claims 1  to  3  is operably linked to at least one regulatory element. 
     
     
         7 . The vector of  claim 5  or  6 , wherein the nucleic acid molecule of any one of  claim 1  or  4  is operably linked to at least one protein coding nucleotide sequence. 
     
     
         8 . A host cell containing the vector of  claims 5  to  7 . 
     
     
         9 . A protein encoded by a nucleotide acid sequence according to any one of  claims 1  to  3 . 
     
     
         10 . A transgenic plant, plant cell or plant material comprising at least one transgenic nucleic acid molecule of any one of  claims 1  to  4  or the vector of any one of  claims 5  to  7 . 
     
     
         11 . A cell culture, preferably a plant cell culture comprising a cell according to  claim 8 . 
     
     
         12 . A method for inducing apomixis in a plant, wherein the expression of a nucleotide sequence encoding a protein capable of inducing apomixis in a plant according to any one of  claims 1  to  3  is induced in the ovule of said plant. 
     
     
         13 . The method for inducing apomixis in a plant according to  claim 12 , wherein the expression is induced by transforming a plant cell with the isolated nucleic acid molecule of any one of  claims 1  to  4  or the vector according to any one of  claims 5  to  7  and regenerating the transformed plant cell into a transformed plant that contains the at least one nucleic acid sequence according to  claims 1  to  4  so as to induce apomixis in the plant. 
     
     
         14 . A method for the production of an apomictic plant, wherein a plant cell is transformed with a nucleic acid molecule capable of inducing the expression of nucleotide sequence encoding a protein capable of inducing apomixis in a plant according to any one of  claims 1  to  4  and regenerating the transformed plant cell into a transformed plant that contains the nucleic acid molecule so as to induce apomixis in the plant. 
     
     
         15 . The method for the production of an apomictic plant by transforming according to  claim 14 , wherein the plant cell is transformed with the isolated nucleic acid molecule of any one of  claims 1  to  4  or the vector of  claims 5  to  7  and the transformed plant cell is regenerated into a transformed plant that contains the at least one nucleic acid sequence according to  claims 1  to  4  so as to induce apomixis in the plant. 
     
     
         16 . A method for isolating an apomixis inducing nucleic acid molecule from a plant, wherein the isolated nucleic acid molecule of any one of  claims 1  to  4  is used to screen and isolate nucleic acid sequences derived from the plant. 
     
     
         17 . A transgenic plant, plant cell or plant material comprising a cell according to any one of  claim 8 ,  10  or  11  or produced according to a method according to any one of  claim 14  or  15  or progeny thereof. 
     
     
         18 . The transgenic plant, plant cell or plant material according to  claim 17  transgenically expressing the nucleotide acid sequence of any one of  claims 1  to  4 . 
     
     
         19 . A method for identifying an effector for apomixis in a plant, wherein the transgenic plant, plant cell or plant material according to any one of  claim 17  or  18  is cultivated.