Wheat ms1 polynucleotides, polypeptides, and methods of use

Abstract

Compositions and methods are capable of modulating male fertility in a plant. Compositions comprise polynucleotides and polypeptides, and fragments and variants thereof, which modulate male fertility. Expression cassettes comprise a male-fertility polynucleotide, or fragment or variant thereof, operably linked to a promoter, wherein expression of the polynucleotide modulates the male fertility of a plant. Regulatory sequences drive expression in a male-tissue-preferred manner and may be targets to downregulate an operably-linked gene. Mutations that induce nuclear recessive male sterility in subsequent selfing and crossing of wheat lines containing the mutations may be tracked. Male-sterile plants may be maintained by crossing with a maintainer plant. Hybrids can be produced using the male-sterile plants.

That which is claimed: 
     
         1 . An expression cassette comprising a first polynucleotide operably linked to a heterologous promoter, wherein said first polynucleotide comprises a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of:
 (a) a nucleotide sequence comprising SEQ ID 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 42, 43, 44, or 45;   (b) a nucleotide sequence encoding an amino acid sequence comprising SEQ ID NO: 3, 5, 39, or 40;   (c) a nucleotide sequence comprising at least 85% sequence identity to the full length of SEQ ID NO: 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 42, 43, 44, or 45, wherein said polynucleotide encodes a polypeptide that modulates male fertility;   (d) a nucleotide sequence comprising at least 500 consecutive nucleotides of SEQ ID NO: 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 42, 43, 44, or 45, wherein said polynucleotide encodes a polypeptide that modulates male fertility; and   (e) a nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide having at least 85% identity to the full length of SEQ ID NO: 3, 5, 39, or 40, wherein said polypeptide modulates male fertility.   
     
     
         2 . The expression cassette of  claim 1 , wherein said expression cassette comprises a first polynucleotide comprising a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of:
 (a) a nucleotide sequence comprising SEQ ID NO: 2, 4, 43, or 45;   (b) a nucleotide sequence comprising at least sequence 95% identity to the full length of SEQ ID NO: 2, 4, 43, or 45;   (c) a nucleotide sequence encoding an amino acid sequence comprising SEQ ID NO: 3, 5, 39, or 40; and   (d) a nucleotide sequence encoding an amino acid sequence comprising at least 95% sequence identity to the full length of SEQ ID NO: 3, 5, 39, or 40.   
     
     
         3 . The expression cassette of  claim 1 , wherein said heterologous promoter is a constitutive, inducible, tissue-preferred, tissue-specific, or growth-stage-preferred promoter. 
     
     
         4 . The expression cassette of  claim 3 , wherein said heterologous promoter is a male-tissue-preferred promoter. 
     
     
         5 . The expression cassette of  claim 1 , further comprising a second polynucleotide operably linked to a second promoter that drives expression in a plant. 
     
     
         6 . The expression cassette of  claim 5 , wherein said second polynucleotide encodes a polynucleotide or polypeptide that interferes with male gamete function, formation, or dispersal. 
     
     
         7 . The expression cassette of  claim 6 , wherein said second polynucleotide encodes barnase, DAM-methylase, amylase, or ADP ribosylase. 
     
     
         8 . The expression cassette of  claim 5 , further comprising a third polynucleotide operably linked to a promoter, wherein said third polynucleotide encodes a marker gene product. 
     
     
         9 . The expression cassette of  claim 8 , wherein said marker gene product comprises an antibiotic resistance marker gene product or a visual marker gene product. 
     
     
         10 . A plant cell comprising the expression cassette of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         11 . The plant cell of  claim 10 , wherein said plant is maize, barley, millet, wheat, rice, sorghum, rye, soybean, canola, alfalfa, sunflower, safflower, sugarcane, tobacco,  Arabidopsis , or cotton. 
     
     
         12 . A plant comprising the plant cell of  claim 10 , wherein the male fertility of said plant is modulated when compared to a control plant. 
     
     
         13 . The plant of  claim 12 , wherein the expression of said first polynucleotide confers male fertility to a male sterile plant. 
     
     
         14 . A seed of the plant of  claim 12 , wherein said seed comprises said expression cassette. 
     
     
         15 . A method of modulating male fertility in a plant, comprising introducing into said plant a polynucleotide operably linked to a heterologous promoter active in said plant, said polynucleotide comprising a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of:
 (a) a nucleotide sequence comprising SEQ ID NO: 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 42, 43, 44, or 45;   (b) a nucleotide sequence encoding an amino acid sequence comprising SEQ ID NO: 3, 5, 39, or 40;   (c) a nucleotide sequence comprising at least 85% sequence identity to the full length of SEQ ID NO: 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 42, 43, 44, or 45, wherein said polynucleotide encodes a polypeptide that modulates male fertility;   (d) a nucleotide sequence comprising at least 500 consecutive nucleotides of SEQ ID NO:1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 42, 43, 44, or 45, wherein said polynucleotide encodes a polypeptide that modulates male fertility; and   (e) a nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide having at least 85% sequence identity to the full length of SEQ ID NO: 3, 5, 39, or 40, wherein said polypeptide modulates male fertility.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein said polynucleotide comprises the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 42, 43, 44, or 45. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein expression of said polynucleotide confers male fertility to a male sterile plant. 
     
     
         18 . An expression cassette comprising a regulatory element operably linked to a heterologous polynucleotide, wherein said regulatory element is a polynucleotide comprising a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of:
 (a) a nucleotide sequence comprising SEQ ID NO: 6, 8, or 41;   (b) a nucleotide sequence comprising at least 95% identity to the full length of SEQ ID NO: 6, 8, or 41 and which drives expression of an operably linked polynucleotide; and   (c) a nucleotide sequence comprising at least about 900 contiguous nucleotides of SEQ ID NO: 6, 8, or 41 and which drives expression of an operably linked polynucleotide.   
     
     
         19 . A method for identifying and/or selecting wheat plants that are homozygous or heterozygous for a mutation in the Ms1 gene, wherein said mutation induces nuclear recessive male sterility, said method comprising:
 a. detecting at least one marker allele that is linked to and associated with a mutation in Ms1; and   b. selecting the plants having the at least one marker allele.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein said marker allele linked to and associated with a mutation in Ms1 is an allele at marker ET0487, ET0488, ET0489, ET0490, ET0491, ET0495, 007-0033.1, or 007-0046.1. 
     
     
         21 . A method for propagating male-sterile plants homozygous for ms1, comprising
 (a) pollinating the male-sterile plant with a maintainer plant, wherein said maintainer plant comprises a DNA construct which comprises   (i) a polynucleotide at least 95% identical to the full length of SEQ ID NO: 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 42, 43, 44, or 45; and   (ii) a polynucleotide encoding a gene product which inhibits the formation, function, or dispersal of male gametes of the maintainer plant;   (b) harvesting seed produced by the male-sterile plant; and   (c) planting the harvested seed to grow male-sterile plants.   
     
     
         22 . A method of producing hybrid wheat seed, comprising pollinating the male-sterile plants produced by the method of  claim 21  with pollen comprising an Ms1 allele.