The instant application contains a Sequence Listing which has been submitted electronically in ASCII format and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Said ASCII copy, created on Mar. 11, 2020, is named 081906-1177328-231510PC_SL.txt and is 200,073 bytes in size.
In response to environmental stresses, plants can adjust growth and development using phytohormones. Facing drought or other stresses, for example, plants synthesize and respond to a terpenoid hormone called abscisic acid (ABA), which is involved in seed germination, seedling growth, regulation of stomatal aperture, flowering, and response to pathogens. (Cutler et al., Abscisic Acid: Emergence of a Core Signaling Network. Annu Rev Plant Biol 2010, 61, 651-679) The ABA signaling network in plants involves a class of water-soluble plant receptors called PYR/PYL/RCAR proteins, which form dimers in absence of ABA. Upon ABA-binding, the dimers for a subset of these proteins dissociate to their ABA-bound monomeric forms, which then regulate PP2C phosphatases and activate downstream SnRK2 kinases to activate many pathways including the control of stomata aperture. (Ma et al., Regulators of PP2C Phosphatase Activity Function as Abscisic Acid Sensors. Science 2009, 324 (5930), 1064-1068; Park et al., Abscisic Acid Inhibits Type 2C Protein Phosphatases via the PYR/PYL Family of START Proteins. Science 2009, 324 (5930), 1068-1071)) In the absence of ABA, the dimeric receptors are autoinhibited, enabling PP2C phosphatases to bind to SnRK2 kinases and render them inactive.
Throughout evolution, this response to drought stress has been finely tuned, making it challenging for humans to detect subtle, yet physiologically relevant changes in ABA concentration without the use of transgenic reporters. Thus, an engineered interface to in vivo ABA signaling utilizing endogenous components as biosensors could enable real time human-mediated mitigation of drought. These sensors would allow plants to report to farmers or automated irrigation systems to obtain point-of-mitigation. To meet all these requirements, the sensors need to be based on endogenous biomolecules and respond to drought stress. Since the PYL proteins comply with these requirements, they present viable candidates to engineer a biosensor.
PYL-based sensors have been investigated by designing recombinant proteins that incorporate fluorescent domains to enable optical sensing using principles such as Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). One report demonstrated the quantification of micromolar (μM) concentrations of ABA in plants by obtaining the ratio of fluorescence intensities in two spectral regions from two fluorophores, one attached to a PYL protein and the other to a phosphatase. (Waadt et al., FRET-based reporters for the direct visualization of abscisic acid concentration changes and distribution in Arabidopsis. Elife 2014, 3) Upon ABA binding, the phosphatase binds to the PYL to enable FRET, causing decrease of fluorescence in one spectral region and increase in the other. Other similar methods have been developed. (Jones et al., Abscisic acid dynamics in roots detected with genetically encoded FRET sensors. Elife 2014, 3) These pioneering works suggest that it is possible to develop sensitive optical sensors to detect ABA in plants.
In some embodiments, a protein dimer is provided comprising a first amino acid sequence and a second amino acid sequence, wherein the protein dimer dissociates in the presence of a plant hormone and the dissociation results in a detectable signal. In some embodiments, the plant hormone is abscisic acid (ABA). In some embodiments, the dimer is a heterodimer. In some embodiments, the dimer is a homodimer.
In some embodiments, one or more of the first and second amino acid sequences is a PYL protein. In some embodiments, the PYL protein is not covalently linked to a phosphatase. In some embodiments, the PYL protein is a PYL3 protein.
In some embodiments, the first amino acid sequence comprises a fluorescent protein sequence and the second amino acid molecule comprises a first quencher protein sequence. In some embodiments, the first amino acid sequence is conjugated to a first dye molecule and the second amino acid molecule is conjugated to a first quencher. In some embodiments, the first quencher is also a dye molecule that emits a detectable signal. In some embodiments, the first dye molecule is also a quencher with respect to the detectable signal of the first quencher. In some embodiments, the dye molecules are self-quenching such that when two of the dye molecules are in proximity (as part of the dimer) their signal is quenched compared to when not in proximity (when in monomeric form). In some embodiments, the detectable signal is florescent or colorometric. In some embodiments, the dye molecule is a fluorophore.
Also provided is a plant comprising one or more exogenous genes encoding the first and second amino acid sequences as described above or elsewhere herein. In some embodiments, a plant is provided expressing the first and second amino acid sequences.
Also provided is a method of monitoring plant hormones in a plurality of adjacent plants. In some embodiments, at least one plant in the plurality is the plant as described above or is a plant comprising the first amino acid sequence and the second amino acid sequence. In some embodiments, the method comprises detecting the detectable signal from the at least one plant in the plurality. In some embodiments, the first amino acid sequence and the second amino acid sequence are injected (or otherwise introduced into the plant non-transgenically) into the plant. In some embodiments, the first and second amino acid sequences are identical and the amino acid sequences are linked to a self-quenching fluorescent label.
In some embodiments, the method further comprises altering at least one environmental condition of the plurality if the level of detectable signal exceeds or is below a threshold value In some embodiments, the altering comprises providing the plurality water or nutrients or pesticides.
In some embodiments, the detecting is performed by a detector over the plurality of plants. In some embodiments, the detector is a rover or an aerial drone.
The term “PYR/PYL receptor polypeptide” refers to a protein characterized in part by the presence of a polyketide cyclase domain, for example as identified by PFAM domains: polyketide cyclase domain 2 (PF10604) or polyketide cyclase domain 1 (PF03364), which in wild-type form mediates abscisic acid (ABA) and ABA analog signaling. A wide variety of PYR/PYL receptor polypeptide sequences are known in the art. In some embodiments, a PYR/PYL receptor polypeptide comprises a polypeptide that is substantially identical to Arabidopsis PYR1 (SEQ ID NO:1), PYL1 (SEQ ID NO:2), PYL2 (SEQ ID NO:3), PYL3 (SEQ ID NO:4), PYL4 (SEQ ID NO:5), PYL5 (SEQ ID NO:6), PYL6 (SEQ ID NO:7), PYL7 (SEQ ID NO:8), PYL8 (SEQ ID NO:9), PYL9 (SEQ ID NO:10), PYL10 (SEQ ID NO:11), PYL11 (SEQ ID NO:12), PYL12 (SEQ ID NO:13), or PYL13 (SEQ ID NO:14), or to any of SEQ ID NOS:15-89.
Two nucleic acid sequences or polypeptides are said to be “identical” if the sequence of nucleotides or amino acid residues, respectively, in the two sequences is the same when aligned for maximum correspondence as described below. The terms “identical” or percent “identity,” in the context of two or more nucleic acids or polypeptide sequences, refer to two or more sequences or subsequences that are the same or have a specified percentage of amino acid residues or nucleotides that are the same, when compared and aligned for maximum correspondence over a comparison window, as measured using one of the following sequence comparison algorithms or by manual alignment and visual inspection. When percentage of sequence identity is used in reference to proteins or peptides, it is recognized that residue positions that are not identical often differ by conservative amino acid substitutions, where amino acids residues are substituted for other amino acid residues with similar chemical properties (e.g., charge or hydrophobicity) and therefore do not change the functional properties of the molecule. Where sequences differ in conservative substitutions, the percent sequence identity may be adjusted upwards to correct for the conservative nature of the substitution. Means for making this adjustment are well known to those of skill in the art. Typically this involves scoring a conservative substitution as a partial rather than a full mismatch, thereby increasing the percentage sequence identity. Thus, for example, where an identical amino acid is given a score of 1 and a non-conservative substitution is given a score of zero, a conservative substitution is given a score between zero and 1. The scoring of conservative substitutions is calculated according to, e.g., the algorithm of Meyers & Miller, Computer Applic. Biol. Sci. 4:11-17 (1988) e.g., as implemented in the program PC/GENE (Intelligenetics, Mountain View, Calif., USA).
The phrase “substantially identical,” used in the context of two nucleic acids or polypeptides, refers to a sequence that has at least 60% sequence identity with a reference sequence. Alternatively, percent identity can be any integer from 60% to 100%. Some embodiments include at least: 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99%, compared to a reference sequence using the programs described herein; preferably BLAST using standard parameters, as described below. Embodiments of the present invention provide for nucleic acids encoding polypeptides that are substantially identical to any of SEQ ID NOS:1-89 and have at least one of the amino acid mutations described herein.
For sequence comparison, typically one sequence acts as a reference sequence, to which test sequences are compared. When using a sequence comparison algorithm, test and reference sequences are entered into a computer, subsequence coordinates are designated, if necessary, and sequence algorithm program parameters are designated. Default program parameters can be used, or alternative parameters can be designated. The sequence comparison algorithm then calculates the percent sequence identities for the test sequences relative to the reference sequence, based on the program parameters.
A “comparison window”, as used herein, includes reference to a segment of any one of the number of contiguous positions selected from the group consisting of from 20 to 600, usually about 50 to about 200, more usually about 100 to about 150 in which a sequence may be compared to a reference sequence of the same number of contiguous positions after the two sequences are optimally aligned. Methods of alignment of sequences for comparison are well-known in the art. Optimal alignment of sequences for comparison can be conducted, e.g., by the local homology algorithm of Smith & Waterman, Adv. Appl. Math. 2:482 (1981), by the homology alignment algorithm of Needleman & Wunsch, J. Mol. Biol. 48:443 (1970), by the search for similarity method of Pearson & Lipman, Proc. Nat'l. Acad. Sci. USA 85:2444 (1988), by computerized implementations of these algorithms (GAP, BESTFIT, FASTA, and TFASTA in the Wisconsin Genetics Software Package, Genetics Computer Group, 575 Science Dr., Madison, Wis.), or by manual alignment and visual inspection.
Algorithms that are suitable for determining percent sequence identity and sequence similarity are the BLAST and BLAST 2.0 algorithms, which are described in Altschul et al. (1990) J Mol. Biol. 215: 403-410 and Altschul et al. (1977) Nucleic Acids Res. 25: 3389-3402, respectively. Software for performing BLAST analyses is publicly available through the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) web site. The algorithm involves first identifying high scoring sequence pairs (HSPs) by identifying short words of length W in the query sequence, which either match or satisfy some positive-valued threshold score T when aligned with a word of the same length in a database sequence. T is referred to as the neighborhood word score threshold (Altschul et al., supra). These initial neighborhood word hits act as seeds for initiating searches to find longer HSPs containing them. The word hits are then extended in both directions along each sequence for as far as the cumulative alignment score can be increased. Cumulative scores are calculated using, for nucleotide sequences, the parameters M (reward score for a pair of matching residues; always >0) and N (penalty score for mismatching residues; always <0). For amino acid sequences, a scoring matrix is used to calculate the cumulative score. Extension of the word hits in each direction are halted when: the cumulative alignment score falls off by the quantity X from its maximum achieved value; the cumulative score goes to zero or below, due to the accumulation of one or more negative-scoring residue alignments; or the end of either sequence is reached. The BLAST algorithm parameters W, T, and X determine the sensitivity and speed of the alignment. The BLASTN program (for nucleotide sequences) uses as defaults a word size (W) of 28, an expectation (E) of 10, M=1, N=−2, and a comparison of both strands. For amino acid sequences, the BLASTP program uses as defaults a word size (W) of 3, an expectation (E) of 10, and the BLOSUM62 scoring matrix (see Henikoff & Henikoff, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89:10915 (1989)).
The BLAST algorithm also performs a statistical analysis of the similarity between two sequences (see, e.g., Karlin & Altschul, Proc. Nat'l. Acad. Sci. USA 90:5873-5787 (1993)). One measure of similarity provided by the BLAST algorithm is the smallest sum probability (P(N)), which provides an indication of the probability by which a match between two nucleotide or amino acid sequences would occur by chance. For example, a nucleic acid is considered similar to a reference sequence if the smallest sum probability in a comparison of the test nucleic acid to the reference nucleic acid is less than about 0.01, more preferably less than about 10−5, and most preferably less than about 10−20.
“Conservatively modified variants” applies to both amino acid and nucleic acid sequences. With respect to particular nucleic acid sequences, conservatively modified variants refers to those nucleic acids which encode identical or essentially identical amino acid sequences, or where the nucleic acid does not encode an amino acid sequence, to essentially identical sequences. Because of the degeneracy of the genetic code, a large number of functionally identical nucleic acids encode any given protein. For instance, the codons GCA, GCC, GCG and GCU all encode the amino acid alanine. Thus, at every position where an alanine is specified by a codon, the codon can be altered to any of the corresponding codons described without altering the encoded polypeptide. Such nucleic acid variations are “silent variations,” which are one species of conservatively modified variations. Every nucleic acid sequence herein which encodes a polypeptide also describes every possible silent variation of the nucleic acid. One of skill will recognize that each codon in a nucleic acid (except AUG, which is ordinarily the only codon for methionine) can be modified to yield a functionally identical molecule. Accordingly, each silent variation of a nucleic acid which encodes a polypeptide is implicit in each described sequence.
As to amino acid sequences, one of skill will recognize that individual substitutions, in a nucleic acid, peptide, polypeptide, or protein sequence which alters a single amino acid or a small percentage of amino acids in the encoded sequence is a “conservatively modified variant” where the alteration results in the substitution of an amino acid with a chemically similar amino acid. Conservative substitution tables providing functionally similar amino acids are well known in the art.
The following six groups each contain amino acids that are conservative substitutions for one another:
2) Aspartic acid (D), Glutamic acid (E);
(see, e.g., Creighton, Proteins (1984)).
It is contemplated that a substitution mutation in a mutated PYR/PYL receptor polypeptide includes amino acids that are conservative substitutions for those specific amino acids, so long as the conservatively substituted amino acid is not the wild-type amino acid. As a non-limiting example, where a mutated PYR/PYL receptor polypeptide comprises a serine-to-threonine substitution, it is contemplated that the mutated PYR/PYL receptor polypeptide may alternatively comprise a serine-to-alanine substitution, as threonine and alanine are conservative substitutions for one another; but the mutated PYR/PYL receptor polypeptide would not comprise a serine-to-serine substitution, as serine is the amino acid that is present in the wild-type PYR/PYL polypeptide.
The term “plant” includes whole plants, shoot vegetative organs and/or structures (e.g., leaves, stems and tubers), roots, flowers and floral organs (e.g., bracts, sepals, petals, stamens, carpels, anthers), ovules (including egg and central cells), seed (including zygote, embryo, endosperm, and seed coat), fruit (e.g., the mature ovary), seedlings, plant tissue (e.g., vascular tissue, ground tissue, and the like), cells (e.g., guard cells, egg cells, trichomes and the like), and progeny of same. The class of plants that can be used in the method of the invention is generally as broad as the class of higher and lower plants amenable to transformation techniques, including angiosperms (monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants), gymnosperms, ferns, and multicellular algae. It includes plants of a variety of ploidy levels, including aneuploid, polyploid, diploid, haploid, and hemizygous.
The term “promoter,” as used herein, refers to a polynucleotide sequence capable of driving transcription of a coding sequence in a cell. Thus, promoters used in the polynucleotide constructs of the invention include cis-acting transcriptional control elements and regulatory sequences that are involved in regulating or modulating the timing and/or rate of transcription of a gene. For example, a promoter can be a cis-acting transcriptional control element, including an enhancer, a promoter, a transcription terminator, an origin of replication, a chromosomal integration sequence, 5′ and 3′ untranslated regions, or an intronic sequence, which are involved in transcriptional regulation. These cis-acting sequences typically interact with proteins or other biomolecules to carry out (turn on/off, regulate, modulate, etc.) gene transcription. A “plant promoter” is a promoter capable of initiating transcription in plant cells. A “constitutive promoter” is one that is capable of initiating transcription in nearly all tissue types, whereas a “tissue-specific promoter” initiates transcription only in one or a few particular tissue types.
A polynucleotide sequence is “heterologous” to an organism or a second polynucleotide sequence if it originates from a foreign species, or, if from the same species, is modified from its original form. For example, when a promoter is said to be operably linked to a heterologous coding sequence, it means that the coding sequence is derived from one species whereas the promoter sequence is derived another, different species; or, if both are derived from the same species, the coding sequence is not naturally associated with the promoter (e.g., is a genetically engineered coding sequence, e.g., from a different gene in the same species, or an allele from a different ecotype or variety).
An “expression cassette” refers to a nucleic acid construct that, when introduced into a host cell, results in transcription and/or translation of an RNA or polypeptide, respectively. Antisense or sense constructs that are not or cannot be translated are expressly included by this definition. In the case of both expression of transgenes and suppression of endogenous genes (e.g., by antisense, or sense suppression) one of skill will recognize that the inserted polynucleotide sequence need not be identical, but may be only substantially identical to a sequence of the gene from which it was derived. As explained herein, these substantially identical variants are specifically covered by reference to a specific nucleic acid sequence.
The inventors have discovered a new way to monitor plant hormone levels. Protein dimers that form in the presence but not in the absence of, or alternatively in the absence but not the presence of, a plant hormone can be engineered to generate a detectable signal (optionally a change in signal) based on the binding of the plant hormone to the protein dimer. The quantity of detectable signal can therefore be used to measure the amount of plant hormone in a plant. This can in turn be used to optimize plant growth and health by adjusting one or more environmental factors (e.g., water, nutrients, pesticides, etc.) based on the detected level of plant hormone in the plant. Such plants carrying the detection system described herein can be included in a plurality of other plants (e.g., as a row within a field of non-detector plants) to indicate the level of plant hormone in the plurality of plants).
Any protein that dimerizes upon binding a plant hormone, or alternatively, that monomerizes upon binding to a plant hormone can be used. The protein dimer can be a heterodimer or a homodimer. In either case, the dimer is made up of two separate proteins. As described herein, in some embodiments, a first protein of the dimer can be linked (e.g., either chemically conjugated otherwise covalently linked) to a first signal generating molecule and the second protein of the dimer can be linked to a second molecule that is capable of altering the signal from the first signal generating molecule when in proximity (e.g., when the dimer is formed) compared to when the not in proximity (when the proteins are in monomeric form). Thus, a change in signal is generated when the plant hormone binds compared to when it is not bound. In some embodiments, the first signal generating molecule and the second signal generating molecule are identical. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the first signal generating molecule and the second signal generating molecule are different. Examples of different signal generating molecules include, e.g., embodiments in which one generates a signal and the other quenches that signal when in proximity or embodiments in which signal is generated when the two signal generating molecules are in proximity but not when they are not in proximity.
A non-limiting example of a protein that binds a plant hormone is a protein from the PYR/PYL protein family, which are receptors for abscisic acid. A wide variety of wild-type (naturally occurring) PYR/PYL polypeptide sequences are known in the art. Although PYR1 was originally identified as an abscisic acid (ABA) receptor in Arabidopsis, in fact PYR1 is a member of a group of at least 14 proteins (PYR/PYL proteins) in the same protein family in Arabidopsis that also mediate ABA signaling. This protein family is also present in other plants (see, e.g., SEQUENCE LISTING) and is characterized in part by the presence of a polyketide cyclase domain, for example as identified by PFAM domains: polyketide cyclase domain 2 (PF10604) or polyketide cyclase domain 1 (PF03364). See, e.g., Finn et al., Nuc. Acids Res. 42:D222-230 (2013) describing PFAM domains. These sorts of domains are part of the START/Bet v 1 superfamily domain, which are described in, for example, Radauer, BMC Evol. Biol. 8:286 (2008). Klinger et al. J. Exp. Botany 61(12):3199-3210 (2010); Melcher et al. Nature 462:602-610 (2009); and Santiago et al., Nature 462:665-669 (2009) each describe structural features of the PYR/PYL protein family. In some embodiments, a wild-type PYR/PYL receptor polypeptide comprises any of SEQ ID NOs:1-89. In some embodiments, a wild-type PYR/PYL receptor polypeptide is substantially identical to (e.g., at least 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94% 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% identical to) any of SEQ ID NOs:1-89.
In situations where additional variants or orthologs of the above sequences are desired, it can be useful to generate sequence alignments to identify conserved amino acid or motifs (i.e., where alteration in sequences may alter protein function) and regions where variation occurs in alignment of sequences (i.e., where variation of sequence is not likely to significantly affect protein activity). Some useful consensus sequences for identifying PYR/PYL polypeptides include, e.g., EXLXXXD GGXHXL (SEQ ID NO:90), CxSxxxxxxxAPxxxxWxxxxxFxxPxxxxxFxxxC (SEQ ID NO:91), GxxRxVxxxSxxPAxxSxExLxxxD (SEQ ID NO:92), and/or GGxHRLxNYxS (SEQ ID NO:93). In addition, more specific consensus sequences can be represented by aligning subsets of the 14 members of the Arabidopsis PYR/PYL proteins, though these consensus sequences are more broadly applicable to other plant orthologous sequences. Examples of such consensus sequences include, e.g.,
Accordingly, in some embodiments, the PYR/PYL polypeptides as described herein comprise one or more of the above-described consensus sequences or conservative variants thereof.
Other plant dimers that bind to plant hormones (in dimeric or in monomeic form) can also be used. Other examples include, but are not limited to, TIR1/AUXIAA (see, e.g., Dharmasiri, et al., Nature, volume 435, pages 441-445(2005)); GID1/DELLA (see, e.g., Uns, Plant Physiology, October 2010, Vol. 154, pp. 567-570); JAZ/COI (see, e.g., Chini et al., The FEBS Journal, Volume 276, Issue 17, September 2009, Pages 4682-4692).
In some embodiments, the protein dimer dissociates in the presence of a plant hormone (e.g., such as ABA) and the dissociation results in a detectable signal. For example, the PYR/PYL proteins form dimers in the absence of ABA and form monomers when binding ABA.
Detectable signal can be generated in a number of ways. For example, by attaching a signal generating molecule to each monomer wherein the signal of the signal generating molecule(s) change when in proximity (when in a dimer) compared to being separate (e.g., monomeric), the presence and quantity of ABA can be determined. An example of molecules that change signal generation depending on their proximity are molecules that use fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) technology. For example, one signal generating molecule can be a reporter (e.g., a fluorescent reporter) and the other signal generating molecule can be a quencher of the reporter. In such a case, the dimerized protein will not fluoresce or will fluoresce at a measurably lower level due to quenching compared to when the protein binds the plant hormone and is in the monomeric form. Suitable reporters and quenchers include, for example, black hole quencher dyes (BHQ), TAMRA, FAM, CY3, CYS, Fluorescein, HEX, JOE, LightCycler Red, Oregon Green, Rhodamine, Rhodamine Green, Rhodamine Red, ROX, TAMRA, TET, Texas Red, and Molecular Beacons.
Alternatively, the signal generating molecules can be protein sequences. In such embodiments, the monomers can be encoded in the genome of a plant and can be expressed by the plant. For example, the plant hormone-binding protein can be expressed in two forms: first, as a fusion with a fluorescent protein and second as a fusion with a protein that quenches the fluorescent protein when in proximity. This will be particularly effective in the case where the fluorescent label is self-quenching such that the dimer, when formed, quenches signal compared to monomeric form. Examples of protein sequences that can function as FRET pairs include but are not limited to those described in Bajer, et al., Sensors (Basel) September; 16(9): 1488 (2016) and George Abraham B, et al. PLoS ONE 10(8): e0134436 (2015). In this way, the two protein forms will form dimers in the absence of hormone and will monomerize in the presence of the hormone, thereby resulting in an increase in signal that can be subsequently detected.
As mentioned above, the signal generating molecule (which can be a protein sequence) can be self-quenching such that a homo-dimer of the protein results in quenching of the fluorescent signal of the signal generating molecules when in monomeric form, but wherein signal is generated when the proteins are dimerized. As an example, Cy5.5 is self-quenching though other self-quenching molecules can be selected depending on precise requirements of an assay.
Signal from the signal generating molecules can be detected as appropriate for the type of signal emitted. For example, any type of photon detection or other detector can be used. In some embodiments, the signal generating molecules are initially excited at a certain wavelength (e.g., by a laser) and the resulting light emitted is detected.
In some embodiments, signal is detected by a self-guided or human-guided vehicle, including for example a flying vehicle such as a satellite, airplane, drone or rover. Such vehicles can allow for detection across a large area, such as a farm or field. See, for example, European patent publication EP 1125111A1.
In some embodiments, the protein(s) are introduced into the plant by non-transgenic (non-transgenic plant) methods. For example the proteins can be introduced by injection of the proteins or of a vector encoding the proteins where the vector is not integrated into the genome of the plant.
As discussed herein, in some embodiments plants are generated to express proteins that form dimers, wherein the dimer proteins are fusions with fluorescent or quenching polypeptide sequences. It should be recognized that transgenic plants encompass the plant or plant cell in which the expression cassette is introduced as well as progeny of such plants or plant cells that contain the expression cassette, including the progeny that have the expression cassette stably integrated in a chromosome.
A recombinant expression vector comprising a PYR/PYL or other coding sequence driven by a heterologous promoter may be introduced into the genome of the desired plant host by a variety of conventional techniques. For example, the DNA construct may be introduced directly into the genomic DNA of the plant cell using techniques such as electroporation and microinjection of plant cell protoplasts, or the DNA construct can be introduced directly to plant tissue using ballistic methods, such as DNA particle bombardment. Alternatively, the DNA construct may be combined with suitable T-DNA flanking regions and introduced into a conventional Agrobacterium tumefaciens host vector. The virulence functions of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens host will direct the insertion of the construct and adjacent marker into the plant cell DNA when the cell is infected by the bacteria. While transient expression of the constitutively active PYR/PYL receptor is encompassed by the invention, generally expression of construction of the invention will be from insertion of expression cassettes into the plant genome, e.g., such that at least some plant offspring also contain the integrated expression cassette.
Microinjection techniques are also useful for this purpose. These techniques are well known in the art and thoroughly described in the literature. The introduction of DNA constructs using polyethylene glycol precipitation is described in Paszkowski et al. EMBO J. 3:2717-2722 (1984). Electroporation techniques are described in Fromm et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 82:5824 (1985). Ballistic transformation techniques are described in Klein et al. Nature 327:70-73 (1987).
Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation techniques, including disarming and use of binary vectors, are well described in the scientific literature. See, for example, Horsch et al. Science 233:496-498 (1984), and Fraley et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 80:4803 (1983). In some embodiments, the Agrobacterium is introduced via infiltration.
Transformed plant cells derived by any of the above transformation techniques can be cultured to regenerate a whole plant that possesses the transformed genotype and thus the desired phenotype such as enhanced abiotic stress resistance. Such regeneration techniques rely on manipulation of certain phytohormones in a tissue culture growth medium, typically relying on a biocide and/or herbicide marker which has been introduced together with the desired nucleotide sequences. Plant regeneration from cultured protoplasts is described in Evans et al., Protoplasts Isolation and Culture, Handbook of Plant Cell Culture, pp. 124-176, MacMillilan Publishing Company, New York, 1983; and Binding, Regeneration of Plants, Plant Protoplasts, pp. 21-73, CRC Press, Boca Raton, 1985. Regeneration can also be obtained from plant callus, explants, organs, or parts thereof. Such regeneration techniques are described generally in Klee et al. Ann. Rev. of Plant Phys. 38:467-486 (1987).
One of skill will recognize that after the expression cassette is stably incorporated in transgenic plants and confirmed to be operable, it can be introduced into other plants by sexual crossing. Any of a number of standard breeding techniques can be used, depending upon the species to be crossed.
The expression cassettes can be used to confer abiotic stress resistance on essentially any plant. Thus, the invention has use over a broad range of plants, including species from the genera Asparagus, Atropa, Avena, Brassica, Citrus, Citrullus, Capsicum, Cucumis, Cucurbita, Daucus, Fragaria, Glycine, Gossypium, Helianthus, Heterocallis, Hordeum, Hyoscyamus, Lactuca, Linum, Lolium, Lycopersicon, Malus, Manihot, Majorana, Medicago, Nicotiana, Oryza, Panieum, Pannesetum, Persea, Pisum, Pyrus, Prunus, Raphanus, Secale, Senecio, Sinapis, Solanum, Sorghum, Trigonella, Triticum, Vitis, Vigna, and Zea. In some embodiments, the plant is selected from the group consisting of rice, maize, wheat, soybeans, cotton, canola, turfgrass, and alfalfa. In some embodiments, the plant is an ornamental plant. In some embodiment, the plant is a vegetable- or fruit-producing plant.
Those of skill will recognize that a number of plant species can be used as models to predict the phenotypic effects of transgene expression in other plants. For example, it is well recognized that both tobacco (Nicotiana) and Arabidopsis plants are useful models of transgene expression, particularly in other dicots.
Abscisic acid (ABA) is an essential drought stress molecule and simple methods for detecting its levels could benefit agriculture. Here, we present as proof-of-concept a biosensor to detect ABA in aqueous solutions using a Cyanine5.5 (Cy5.5) fluorophore- and BHQ3 quencher conjugated to endogenous abscisic acid receptor pyrabactin resistance 1 like proteins (PYL3), which monomerize upon ABA binding. A mixture of the two protein conjugates was used to detect nM to mM ABA in aqueous solution. As the ABA concentration increased from less than one μM to one mM, fluorescence intensity of the mixture more than doubled. In addition to BHQ3 quenching the fluorescence of Cy5.5 in PYL3-Cy5.5/PYL3-BHQ3 heterodimers, self-quenching was observed between two fluorophores in PYL3-Cy5.5 homodimers. BHQ3 concentration-dependent attenuation of Cy5.5 was observed as well, which was significant at the BHQ3 concentrations used in this work. A kinetic model was developed to simulate the fluorescence response from the mixture and the results generally agree with the experimentally observed trend. This work demonstrates that fluorescence measurements of a single dissociation reaction in one spectral region are adequate to assess the ABA concentration of a solution.
To simplify ABA detection so that detection in only a single spectral region is possible, we developed a new sensing mechanism using components of the ABA signaling pathway. This design can potentially provide more possibilities for development of sentinel plants to report drought stress by conjugating small molecules to PYL proteins. The principle behind this work is based on FRET quenching between a fluorophore and a quencher chemically linked to PYLs. In this process, the quencher resonantly absorbs and dissipates the energy released from the excited fluorophore and reduces or eliminates fluorescence from the fluorophore. For efficient quenching through FRET, the fluorophore and quencher need to be located within a few nanometers of each other. (Meer, B. W. v. d., FRET—Forester Resonance Energy Transfer: From Theory to Applications. Wiley-VCH/Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA: Weinheim, Germany, 2014) Our design takes advantage of the dimerization of the PYL receptors to establish this close proximity. The Arabidopsis thaliana genome encodes 14 PYL proteins, each with a different monomer—dimer dissociation equilibrium. (Hao et al., The Molecular Basis of ABA-Independent Inhibition of PP2Cs by a Subclass of PYL Proteins. Mol Cell 2011, 42 (5), 662-672) Without ABA, a significant portion of the PYL receptors stay in the dimeric form. In the presence of ABA the equilibrium shifts towards PYL monomers which facilitates binding of the protein phosphatase 2C ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE 1 (ABI1). For instance, the homodimeric receptor PYL3 has an equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) of 7.76 μM, which increases to 52 μM when at saturating ABA concentrations. (Zhang et al., Complex Structures of the Abscisic Acid Receptor PYL3/RCAR13 Reveal a Unique Regulatory Mechanism. Structure 2012, 20 (5), 780-790) This increase in the dissociation constant is attributed to a conformational change to the dimers from the initial cis-homodimer to the trans-homodimer upon ABA binding. (Zhang et al., Complex Structures of the Abscisic Acid Receptor PYL3/RCAR13 Reveal a Unique Regulatory Mechanism. Structure 2012, 20 (5), 780-790; Zhang et al., Structural basis and functions of abscisic acid receptors PYLs. Front Plant Sci 2015, 6) Therefore, if a fluorophore is conjugated to one PYL3 monomer and a quencher to the corresponding monomer, then the heterodimer would switch from the quenched state to the fluorescent state upon ABA binding, which results in increased fluorescence in the presence of increased concentrations of ABA in drought stressed plants.
The design employed in this work is described in
pET28 and BL21[DE3] E. coli were used. (Cutler et al., A. Control of plant stress tolerance, water use efficiency and gene expression using novel ABA receptor proteins and synthetic agonists. 2016) Growth media for E. coli (pET28) including LB Agar, tryptone, and yeast extract were purchased from BD. Sodium chloride, HEPES, buffer, TRIS Buffer, triethanolamine, aluminum sulfate, sodium phosphate dibasic, sodium phosphate monobasic, Coomassie brilliant blue R, and polyacrylamide were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich. Kanamycin, chloramphenicol, isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactoside (IPTG), imidazole, and regenerated cellulose dialysis tubing were purchased from Thermo Fisher Scientific. A HisTrap HP column was purchased from GE Healthcare. A non-radioactive phosphatase assay system (Ser/Thr) was purchased from Promega. Cyanine5.5 NHS ester was purchased from Lumiprobe and BHQ3 NHS ester was purchased from Biosearch Technologies.
pET28 E. coli with the required plasmids were used for expression and to prepare glycerol stocks with a final glycerol content of 25% for long-term storage at −80° C. Protein expression was induced by cultivating E. coli in the presence of 0.1 mM IPTG. A pre-culture was grown over night in a 12-mL culture tube at 37° C. The main culture was started with an optical density of 0.05-0.1 from the preculture. IPTG induction (0.1 mM final concentration) occurred once the E. coli reached an optical density of 0.3-0.5 at a wavelength of 605 nm and proceeded up to 6 hours at 28° C. After terminating the expression on ice for approximately 5 min, the cells were centrifuged for 10 minutes at 4000 g. The pellet was washed using 5 mL of purification buffer (20 mM PB and 500 mM NaCl of pH 7.4). Protein extraction and purification were carried out at 4° C. The cells were suspended in 8 mL denaturation purification buffer (20 mM PB, 500 mM NaCl, 20 mM imidazole and 8 M urea) and the proteins were extracted following an established protocol. (Feliu et al., Optimized release of recombinant proteins by ultrasonication of E. coli cells. Biotechnol Bioeng 1998, 58 (5), 536-540) All media were autoclaved prior to use. The proteins were purified using a HisTrap HP 1 mL column, which was prepared by washing with 5 mL of 20% ethanol, 5 mL of MilliQ water, and 5 mL of binding buffer (20 mM PB, 500 mM NaCl at pH 7.4) at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. Proteins were applied at a flow rate of 0.15 mL/min followed by sequential rinsing with low imidazole concentrations present. 5 mL of binding buffer, 5 mL of wash buffer #1 (20 mM PB, 500 mM NaCl, 20 mM imidazole at pH 7.4), 5 mL of wash buffer #2 (20 mM PB, 500 mM NaCl, 40 mM imidazole at pH 7.4), and 5 mL of wash buffer #3 (20 mM PB, 500 mM NaCl, 60 mM imidazole at pH 7.4) were subsequently applied at 1 mL/min flow rate. Ten protein fractions were eluted using 10 mL elution buffer (20 mM PB, 500 mM NaCl, 500 mM imidazole at pH 7.4) at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. The column was restored by sequentially flushing with 5 mL of the elution buffer, of milli-Q water, and of 20% ethanol at 1 mL/min. The elution fractions were tested using SDS-PAGE gels. Fractions with similar amounts of the pure protein were combined and the molar mass was verified using MALDI-MS. The protein concentration was determined using UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy at 280 nm. The protein dimer has a molar extinction coefficient of 9250 M−1 cm−1. The absorption at 280 nm was background corrected using the UV-Vis absorption spectra (
For fluorescence or molar mass measurements of the proteins as a function of ABA concentration, 0.6 mL of the conjugated protein solutions containing approximately equal amounts of PYL3-Cy5.5 and PYL3-BHQ3 (20% of protein conjugates in the presence of PYL3) were mixed with 0.6 mL of the specified concentration of ABA (aq.) solution by vortexing and incubation for 30 min. UV-Vis absorption measurements were performed on PYL3-Cy5.5, PYL3-BHQ3, and a 1:1 mixture of PYL3 containing PYL3-Cy5.5 and PYL3-BHQ3 (Shimadzu UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer, UV1700). Fluorescence measurements were performed on PYL3-Cy5.5, PYL3-BHQ3, and 1:1 mixture of PYL3 containing PYL3-Cy5.5 and PYL3-BHQ3 and as a function of ABA concentration (Yvon-Horiba FluoroMax-4). Static light scattering (SLS) was used to determine the average molar mass (Malvern Zetasizer Nano S90 fitted with a 633 nm He—Ne laser). The mass of PYL3, PYL3-Cy5.5 and PYL3-BHQ3 was measured using Bruker UltraFlextreme MALDI TOF. Samples for MALDI-TOF measurement were prepared using a dried droplet method in a 2,5-Dihydroxyacetophenone (2,5-DHAP) matrix. The mass spectra were acquired with laser repetition frequency of 0.7-1 kHz.
After expression and purification of PYL3, the fluorophore conjugates were subsequently synthesized. PYL3 activity was tested and confirmed using a phosphatase assay, indicating that recombinant protein dye conjugates retained activity. (Hao et al., The Molecular Basis of ABA-Independent Inhibition of PP2Cs by a Subclass of PYL Proteins. Mol Cell 2011, 42 (5), 662-672) Results of the activity assay are shown in
When PYL3-Cy5.5 or PYL3-BHQ3 are dissolved in water, they form PYL3-Cy5.5 or PYL3-BHQ3 homodimers. For convenience, we call PYL3-Cy5.5 dimers or PYL3-BHQ3 dimers “homodimers”. UV-Vis absorption measurements covering wavelengths from 270 nm to 700 nm reveal absorption spectra of PYLs (peaked at 280 nm) and Cy5.5 and BHQ3 (peaked at 650 nm) (
Fluorescence from PYL3 and BHQ3-PYL3 homodimers in aqueous solution is weak, whereas fluorescence from PYL3-Cy5.5 homodimers (
Results from Static Light Scattering (SLS) measurements were used to estimate average molecular mass (
By mixing PYL3-Cy5.5 molecules with PYL3-BHQ3 molecules at an approximately 1:1 ratio in aqueous solutions, monomers, homodimers, and heterodimers coexist, as displayed in
Because of these fluorescence reduction possibilities, it can be difficult to use fluorescence to directly measure the concentration of PYL-Cy5.5, and the use of absorption spectroscopy can instead be a more reliable way to determine the conjugates concentration, which is also subjected to interference from concentration-dependent spectral changes. Using the absorbance values at 280 and 643 nm for PYL3-Cy5.5 and PYL3-BHQ3 shown in
BHQ3-induced attenuation by free BHQ3 was investigated here. As the concentration of free BHQ3 and Cy5.5 increases in a mixture, attenuation of Cy5.5 fluorescence by BHQ3 is observed (
SLS was used to quantify the percentages of heterodimers as a function of ABA concentration (black line) (
The fluorescence signal (red line) of the mixture increases as ABA is added (
For the data presented in Table 1, a self-quenching efficiency of 20% and BHQ3 concentration dependent quenching shown in
In order to further evaluate the validity of the measured results, we have carried out theoretical simulations to predict equilibrium concentrations of monomers and dimers based on the rate equations and binding constants.
Here, we present a novel approach that can sense ABA through FRET between Cy5.5 and BHQ3 conjugated PYL3 monomers. The current design can detect μM concentrations of ABA in aqueous solutions. The advantages are twofold: 1) a single dissociation reaction is needed to enable the sensing and 2) detection of fluorescence in a single wavelength region is needed. The results presented here demonstrate a proof-of-principle sensing mechanism. Several improvements can be made. For example, FRET quenching efficiency may be maximized. Our conjugation method does not control for the specific amino acid location of Cy5.5 or BHQ3 conjugation. There are many amine sites on the surface of PYL3 monomers. All these sites could potentially be the binding site(s) for Cy5.5 or BHQ3. The random position of fluorophore/quenching conjugation may lead to less efficient FRET quenching. Quenching depends on many parameters including the distance between the two chromophores and their relative orientations. If this quenching is 100% efficient, then one can adjust the system to maximize self-quenching efficiency. If there is strong self-quenching and 100% FRET quenching between Cy5.5 in homodimers, then the fluorescence signal prior to ABA binding can be minimized such that the increase in fluorescence signal upon ABA binding would be greater, hence increasing the detection sensitivity. In order to construct sensors which can be applied, in some cases one can use fluorophore-quencher combinations that emit in the near infrared region to avoid background interference due to chlorophyll emission, such as Cy7.5.
In addition, the cost and shelf lifetime of the sensors can be further improved. Currently PYL protein expression and purification is carried out using E. coli and the conjugation synthesis process is labor intensive. In the future, although unlike, dye-conjugated proteins may be synthesized in plants. This would significantly reduce the cost and eliminate the issue of protein activity lifetime.
Although the trends shown in the simulated results displayed in
Additionally, the signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) can be improved prior to deployment in plants. The SNR obtained here are relatively low, at approximately 5.0 because the data acquisition time per data point was on the order of 5 seconds (
A biosensor that uses native PYL3 proteins conjugated with Cy5.5 fluorophores and BHQ3 quenchers has been developed and tested here. Conjugation reaction yield is on the order of 20%, meaning approximately 20% of PYL3 proteins have fluorophores or quenchers on them. Mixture of equal amounts of PYL3-Cy5.5 and PYL3-BHQ3 protein conjugates is used as the biosensor. Fluorescence signal of the mixture increases by more than 50% upon mixing with 100 μM ABA, a phytohormone molecule that is produced in plants undergoing drought stress. Without ABA, most PYL3 conjugates stay in the dimer form, and the fluorescence of Cy5.5 is quenched due to three types of quenching: FRET through BHQ3, self, and concentration dependent through BHQ3. The magnitudes of these quenching are on the order of 90%, 20% and 73% for the concentrations (˜4 μM) of BHQ3 and Cy5.5 used in this work. Upon binding to ABA, dimers, including both PYL3-Cy5.5/PYL3-BHQ3 heterodimers and PYL3-Cy5.5/PYL3-BHQ3 homodimers, dissociate to give rise to higher fluorescence intensities. The experimentally observed responses generally agree with the theoretically model trends.
The phosphatase activity assay was performed using non-radioactive Serine/Threonine Phosphatase Assay System from Promega. (Promega Technical Bulletin, Serine/Threonine Phosphatase Assay System: Instructions for Use of Products V2460 (Revised 3/17, TB218), Promega Corporation, Madison, Wis.; Yin et al., Structural insights into the mechanism of abscisic acid signaling by PYL proteins. Nature Str. and Mol. Biol. 2009, 16 12), 1230-1236); Zhang et al., Complex Structures of the Abscisic Acid Receptor PYL3/RCAR13 Reveal a Unique Regulatory Mechanism. Structure 2012, 20, 780-790) The reaction was performed in a 100-μl reaction volume containing 14 μg ABI1, 20 mM Tris buffer at a pH 7.5, and 150 mM NaCl and 20 μg PYL3. The assay was performed with and without 10 μM (+)-ABA. The reaction mixture was then mixed with Promega supplied peptide substrate in reaction buffer (50 mM imidazole at pH 7.2, 5 mM MgCl2, 0.2 mM EGTA, and 0.1 mg/mL BSA) at 23° C. for 40 min. The reaction was then terminated by addition of 100 μL molybdate dye/additive mixture. 30 min. after the addition of molybdate dye/additive mixture the phosphate concentration was determined by measuring absorbance at 630 nm and comparing it to the standard calibration curve prepared using Promega supplied free phosphate standard and phosphate-free water. Molybdate dye binds to free phosphate in aqueous solution in a free phosphate concentration dependent manner. To determine relative phosphate activity (%) first the concentration of free phosphate present in PYL3, PYL3-Cy5.5, and PYL3-BHQ3 was calculated for different concentrations of ABA using the standard calibration curve. Secondly, the phosphatase activity was assumed as 100% for PYL3 at 0 μM ABA. Third, relative phosphatase activity (%) at various concentrations of ABA for each of PYL3, PYL3-Cy5.5, and PYL3-BHQ3 was then calculated using PYL3 at 0 μM ABA as reference.
The following multi-step reaction was used to perform theoretical simulation with a range of equilibrium constants in order to validate the observed experimental results in Mathematica. (Toth, J.; Nagy, A. L.; and Papp, D. Reaction Kinetics—A Mathematica Package with Applications. Chem. Eng. Sci. 2012, 83, 12-23).
It is understood that the examples and embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and that various modifications or changes in light thereof will be suggested to persons skilled in the art and are to be included within the spirit and purview of this application and scope of the appended claims. All publications, patents, and patent applications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.
Arabidopsis thaliana
Arabidopsis thaliana
Arabidopsis thaliana
Arabidopsis thaliana
Arabidopsis thaliana
Arabidopsis thaliana
Arabidopsis thaliana
Arabidopsis thaliana
Arabidopsis thaliana
Arabidopsis thaliana
Arabidopsis thaliana
Arabidopsis thaliana
Arabidopsis thaliana
Arabidopsis thaliana
Brassica oleracea
Brassica oleracea
Vitis vinifera
Vitis vinifera
Medicago truncatula
Oryza sativa
Zea mays
Zea mays
Vitis vinifera
Oryza sativa
Oryza sativa
Zea mays
Vitis vinifera
Nicotiana tabacum
Oryza sativa
Oryza sativa
Picea sitchensis
Oryza sativa
Oryza sativa
Vitis vinifera
Zea mays
Physcomitrella patens
Physcomitrella patens subsp. patens bryophyte moss, ecotype
Oryza sativa
Oryza sativa
Medicago truncatuia
Zea mays
Zea mays
Physcomitrella patens
Physcomitrella patens subsp. patens bryophyte moss, ecotype
Vitis vinifera
Physcomitrella patens
Physcomitrella patens subsp. patens bryophyte moss, ecotype
Physcomitrella patens
Physcomitrella patens subsp. patens bryophyte moss, ecotype
Vitis vinifera
Picea sitchensis
Solanum tuberosum
Medicago truncatula
Vitis vinifera
Vitis vinifera
Oryza sativa
Capsicum annuum
Populus trichocarpa
Capsicum annuum
Populus trichocarpa x Populus deltoides
Pisum sativum
Vitis vinifera
Vitis vinifera
Arachis hypogaea
Zea mays
Zea mays
Oryza sativa
Oryza sativa
Oryza sativa
Oryza sativa
Medicago truncatula
Medicago truncatula
Zea mays
Zea mays
Zea mays
Oryza sativa
Zea mays
Oryza sativa
Oryza sativa
Oryza sativa
Vitis vinifera
Oryza sativa
Oryza sativa
Rheum australe
Oryza sativa
Oryza sativa
Oryza sativa
Oryza sativa
Vitis vinifera
Vitis vinifera
Oryza sativa
Zea mays
Oryza sativa
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/844,479, filed May 7, 2019, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein for all purposes
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/US20/31711 | 5/6/2020 | WO | 00 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62844479 | May 2019 | US |