Isolated polynucleotides and polypeptides, and methods of using same for increasing yield of plants

Abstract

Provided are isolated polynucleotides and nucleic acid constructs which comprise a nucleic acid sequence at least 80% identical to a nucleic acid sequence selected form the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 1-219, 367-5628, 9688-9700, and 9709-9752; and isolated polypeptides which comprise an amino acid sequence at least 80% homologous to an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 220-366, 5629-9400, 9701-9708, and 9753-9796. Also provided are transgenic cells and plants expressing same and methods of using same for increasing yield, growth rate, biomass, vigor, oil content, seed yield, fiber yield, fiber quality, nitrogen use efficiency, and/or abiotic stress of a plant.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of increasing yield, growth rate, biomass, vigor, oil content, seed yield, fiber yield, fiber quality, nitrogen use efficiency, abiotic stress tolerance, and/or reducing time to flowering or to inflorescence emergence of a plant, comprising over-expressing within the plant, as compared to a native plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions, a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence as set forth by SEQ ID NO: 344, or a homologous polypeptide thereof comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 80% sequence identity to said amino acid sequence set forth by SEQ ID NO: 344, thereby increasing the yield, growth rate, biomass, vigor, oil content, seed yield, fiber yield, fiber quality, nitrogen use efficiency, abiotic stress tolerance and/or reducing the time to flowering or to inflorescence emergence of the plant. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said homologous polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 95% sequence identity and conservative amino acid substitutions with respect to an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 344, 242, and 6416-6430. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said polypeptide is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 344, 242, and 6416-6430. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said over-expression is performed by transforming the plant with an exogenous polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding said polypeptide, wherein said exogenous polynucleotide is operably linked to a promoter for directing expression of said nucleic acid sequence in a plant cell. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said promoter is heterologous to said exogenous polynucleotide. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 146, 23, and 1416-1437, or a codon-optimized sequence thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising selecting a plant over-expressing said polypeptide for an increased trait, selected from the group consisting of: yield, growth rate, biomass, vigor, oil content, seed yield, fiber yield, fiber quality, nitrogen use efficiency, and abiotic stress tolerance, as compared to a native plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising selecting a plant over-expressing said polypeptide for a decreased trait, selected from the group consisting of: time to flowering and time to inflorescence emergence, as compared to a native plant of the same species which is grown under the same growth conditions. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising growing the plant over-expressing said polypeptide under the abiotic stress. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said abiotic stress is selected from the group consisting of salinity, drought, osmotic stress, water deprivation, flood, etiolation, low temperature, high temperature, heavy metal toxicity, anaerobiosis, nutrient deficiency, nutrient excess, atmospheric pollution and UV irradiation. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said promoter is a wheat promoter. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein said promoter comprises the nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 9811, 9806, 9807, 9804, 9805, 9812, 9813, 9809, 9810, 9406, 9409, 9407, 9408, 9797, 9418, 9799, 9800, 9801, 9808, and 9803. 
     
     
         13 . A method of producing a crop, comprising growing a crop of a plant expressing an exogenous polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence as set forth by SEQ ID NO: 344, or a homologous polypeptide thereof comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 80% sequence identity to said amino acid sequence set forth by SEQ ID NO: 344, wherein said plant is derived from a plant selected for increased yield, increased growth rate, increased biomass, increased vigor, increased oil content, increased seed yield, increased fiber yield, increased fiber quality, increased nitrogen use efficiency, increased abiotic stress tolerance, reduced time to flowering and/or reduced time to inflorescence as compared to a control plant, thereby producing the crop. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein said homologous polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 95% sequence identity and conservative amino acid substitutions with respect to an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 344, 242 and 6416-6430. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 146, 23 and 1416-1437, or a codon-optimized sequence thereof. 
     
     
         16 . A nucleic acid construct comprising an isolated polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence as set forth by SEQ ID NO: 344, or a homologous polypeptide thereof comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 91% sequence identity to said amino acid sequence set forth by SEQ ID NO: 344, and a heterologous promoter operably linked to said isolated polynucleotide for directing transcription of said nucleic acid sequence in a host cell, wherein said amino acid sequence is capable of increasing yield, growth rate, biomass, vigor, oil content, seed yield, fiber yield, fiber quality, nitrogen use efficiency, and/or abiotic stress of a plant and/or reducing time to flowering and/or to inflorescence emergence of a plant. 
     
     
         17 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 16 , wherein said homologous polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 95% sequence identity and conservative amino acid substitutions with respect to an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 344 and 242. 
     
     
         18 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 16 , wherein said amino acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 344 and 242. 
     
     
         19 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 16 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 146 and 23, or a codon-optimized sequence thereof. 
     
     
         20 . A plant cell transformed with the nucleic acid construct of  claim 16 . 
     
     
         21 . A transgenic plant comprising the nucleic acid construct of  claim 16 . 
     
     
         22 . A method of growing a crop, the method comprising seeding seeds and/or planting plantlets of a plant transformed with the nucleic acid construct of  claim 16 , wherein the plant is derived from plants selected for at least one trait selected from the group consisting of: increased nitrogen use efficiency, increased abiotic stress tolerance, increased biomass, increased growth rate, increased vigor, increased yield and increased fiber yield or quality, increased oil content, reduced time to flowering and reduced time to inflorescence emergence as compared to a non-transformed plant, thereby growing the crop.