Isolated polynucleotides and polypeptides, and methods of using same for increasing nitrogen use efficiency, yield, growth rate, vigor, biomass, oil content, and/or abiotic stress tolerance

Abstract

Provided are methods of increasing nitrogen use efficiency, yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality and/or abiotic stress tolerance of a plant by expressing within the plant an exogenous polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NO: 387, 1-386, 388-469, 763-3704 and 3705; or an exogenous polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NO: 602, 470-601, 603-762, 3706-5858, 5860-5910, 5912, 5914-5923, 5925-6046 or 6047. Also provided is an isolated polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 387, 1-386, 388-469, 763-3704 and 3705, which can be used to increase the nitrogen use efficiency, yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality and/or abiotic stress tolerance of a plant.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of increasing nitrogen use efficiency, yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, and/or abiotic stress tolerance, and/or reducing time to inflorescence emergence and/or time to flowering of a plant, comprising over-expressing within the plant a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NO: 470-474, 476-671, 673-762, 3706-3725, 3729-3730, 3740-5642, 5644-5858, 5860-5910, 5912, 5914-5923, 5925-6046 or 6047, thereby increasing the nitrogen use efficiency, yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, and/or abiotic stress tolerance, and/or reducing the time to inflorescence emergence and/or the time to flowering, of the plant. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said polypeptide is expressed from an exogenous polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NO: 1-5, 7-202, 204-215, 217-252, 254-263, 265-456, 458-469, 763-787, 794-795, 805-3241, 3243-3704 or 3705. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said polypeptide is expressed from an exogenous polynucleotide comprising the nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 1-5, 7-202, 204-215, 217-252, 254-263, 265-456, 458-469, 763-787, 794-795, 805-3241, 3243-3704 and 3705. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said amino acid sequence is at least 90% identical to the amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 470-474, 476-671, 673-762, 3706-3725, 3729-3730, 3740-5642, 5644-6046 and 6047. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said amino acid sequence has at least 95% sequence identity and comprises conservative amino acid substitution(s) with respect to the amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 470-474, 476-671, 673-762, 3706-3725, 3729-3730, 3740-5642, 5644-6046 and 6047. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said amino acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 470-474, 476-671, 673-762, 3706-3725, 3729-3730, 3740-5642, 5644-6046 and 6047. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising growing the plant expressing said exogenous polynucleotide under the abiotic stress. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said abiotic stress is selected from the group consisting of salinity, osmotic stress, drought, water deprivation, flood, etiolation, low temperature, high temperature, heavy metal toxicity, anaerobiosis, nutrient deficiency, nutrient excess, atmospheric pollution and UV irradiation. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the yield comprises seed yield or oil yield. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising growing the plant expressing said exogenous polynucleotide under nitrogen-limiting conditions. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising selecting said plant over-expressing said polypeptide for an increased nitrogen use efficiency, yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, and/or abiotic stress tolerance as compared to a control plant of the same species under the same growth conditions. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising selecting said plant over-expressing said polypeptide for a reduced time to inflorescence emergence and/or time to flowering as compared to a control plant of the same species under the same growth conditions. 
     
     
         13 . A nucleic acid construct comprising an isolated polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide which comprises an amino acid sequence at least 80% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 470-474, 476-671, 673-762, 3706-3725, 3729-3730, 3740-5642, 5644-5858, 5860-5910, 5912, 5914-5923, 5925-6046 or 6047, and a heterologous promoter for directing transcription of said nucleic acid sequence in a host cell, wherein said amino acid sequence is capable of increasing nitrogen use efficiency, yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, oil content, fiber yield, fiber quality, and/or abiotic stress tolerance, and/or of reducing time to inflorescence emergence and/or time to flowering, of a plant. 
     
     
         14 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 13 , wherein said amino acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 470-474, 476-671, 673-762, 3706-3725, 3729-3730, 3740-5642, 5644-6046 and 6047. 
     
     
         15 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 13 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1-5, 7-202, 204-215, 217-252, 254-263, 265-456, 458-469, 763-787, 794-795, 805-3241, 3243-3704 and 3705. 
     
     
         16 . A plant cell transformed with the nucleic acid construct of  claim 13 . 
     
     
         17 . The plant cell of  claim 16 , wherein said plant cell forms part of a plant. 
     
     
         18 . A transgenic plant comprising the nucleic acid construct of  claim 13 . 
     
     
         19 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 13 , wherein said promoter is a constitutive promoter. 
     
     
         20 . The nucleic acid construct of  claim 13 , wherein said promoter is a tissue-specific, or an abiotic stress-inducible promoter. 
     
     
         21 . A method of growing a crop, comprising: seeding seeds and/or planting plantlets of a plant transformed with the nucleic acid construct of  claim 13 , 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 inflorescence emergence and reduced time to flowering as compared to a non-transformed plant, thereby growing the crop.