Claims
- 1. A glyphosate resistant EPSPS enzyme wherein in comparison with the wild type EPSPS the protein sequence is modified in that a first position is mutated so that the residue at this position is lie rather than Thr and a second position is mutated so that the residue at this position is Ser rather than Pro, the mutations being introduced into EPSPS sequences which comprise the conserved region GNAGTAMRPL in the wild type enzyme such that the modified sequence reads GNAGIAMRSL, wherein the enzyme does not comprise the sequence K(AN)AKRAVVVGCGGKFPVE, characterised in that the enzyme is stable and possesses at least one of the following sequence motifs (i) to (viii) in which X is any amino acid and Z, Z1 and Z2 are any amino acid other than those specified:
(i) ALLMZAPLA, wherein Z is not S or T; (ii) EIEIZDKL, wherein Z is not V; (iii) FG(V/I)(K/S)ZEH, wherein Z is not V; (iv) AL(K/R)ZLGL, wherein Z is not R; (v) GLXVEZ1DXZ2XXXA(I/V)V, wherein Z1 is not T and/or Z2 is not E; (vi) ITPPZ1K(LN)(K/N)Z2, wherein Z, is not K and/or Z2 is not T; (vii) TIZ(D/N)PGCT, wherein Z is not N or L; (viii) (D/N)YFXVLXZXX(K/R)H, wherein Z is not R.
- 2. An enzyme according to claim 1, which comprises at least two of the motifs (i), (ii), (iii), (v) and (vi).
- 3. An enzyme according to either of claims 1 or 2, wherein in motif (i) Z is A; in motif (ii) Z is I; in motif (iii) Z is A; in motif (iv) Z is K, T or A; in motif (v) Z1 is R or A or less preferably D or E and Z2 is preferably V or A or less preferably T; in sequence motif (vi) Z, is E or A and Z2 is P, I or V; in motif (vii) Z is R or K; and in motif (viii) Z is T or S or less preferably Q.
- 4. An enzyme according to claim 1, which comprises one or more sequences selected from the group consiting of:.
- 5. An isolated polynucleotide comprising a region which encodes an EPSPS according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
- 6. A polynucleotide according to claim 5, having a sequence depicted in SEQ ID Nos. 4 or 5.
- 7. A polynucleotide encoding an EPSPS, which polynucleotide is obtainable by screening plant genomic DNA libraries with a polynucleotide constituting an intron located within SEQ ID Nos. 4 or 5.
- 8. A polynucleotide according to any one of claims 5-7, comprising the following components in the 5′ to 3′ direction of transcription:
(i) At least one transcriptional enhancer being that enhancing region which is upstream from the transcriptional start of the sequence from which the enhancer is obtained and which enhancer per se does not function as a promoter either in the sequence in which it is endogenously comprised or when present heterologously as part of a construct; (ii) The promoter from the soybean EPSPS gene; (iii) The soybean genomic sequence which encodes the soybean EPSPS chloroplast transit peptide; (iv) The genomic sequence which encodes the soybean EPSPS; (v) A transcriptional terminator; wherein the soybean TPSPS coding sequence is modified in comparison with the wild type sequence in that a first position is mutated so that the residue at this position is Ile rather than Thr and a second position is mutated so that the residue at this position is Ser rather than Pro, the mutations being introduced into EPSPS sequences which comprise the conserved region GNAGTAMRPLTAAV in the wild type enzyme such that modified sequence reads GNAGIAMRSLTAAV.
- 9. A polynucleotide according to claim 1, comprising the following components in the 5′ to 3′ direction of transcription:
(i) At least one transcriptional enhancer being that enhancing region which is upstream from the transcriptional start of the sequence from which the enhancer is obtained and which enhancer per se does not function as a promoter either in the sequence in which it is endogenously comprised or when present heterologously as part of a construct; (ii) The promoter from the Brasicca napus EPSPS gene; (iii) The Brasicca napus genomic sequence which encodes the Brasicca napus EPSPS chloroplast transit peptide; (iv) The genomic sequence which encodes the Brasicca napus EPSPS; (v) A transcriptional terminator; wherein the Brasicca napus EPSPS coding sequence is modified in comparison with the wild type sequence, in that a first position is mutated so that the residue at this position is Ile rather than Thr and a second position is mutated so that the residue at this position is Ser rather than Pro, the mutations being introduced into EPSPS sequences which comprise the conserved region GNAGTAMRPLTAAV in the wild type enzyme such that modified sequence reads GNAGIAMRSLTAAV.
- 10. A polynucleotide according to any one of claims 5-9, further comprising a sequence which encodes a chloroplast transit peptide/phosphoenolpyruvate synthase (CTP/PPS) or a chloroplast transit peptide/pyruvate orthophosphate di-kinase (CTP/PPDK), which sequence is under expression control of a plant operable promoter.
- 11. A polynucleotide according to the preceding claim, wherein the CTP and PPDK encoding sequences are non-heterologous with respect to each other.
- 12. A polynucleotide according to any one of claims 5-11, wherein the said enhancing region constitutes a sequence, the 3′ end of which is at least 40 nucleotides upstream of the closest transcriptional start of the sequence from which the enhancer is obtained.
- 13. A polynucleotide according to claim 12, wherein the enhancing region constitutes a region the 3′ end of which is at least 60 nucleotides upstream of the said closest start.
- 14. A polynucleotide according to claim 12, wherein the said enhancing region constitutes a sequence the 3′ end of which is at least 10 nucleotides upstream from the first nucleotide of the TATA consensus of the sequence from which the enhancer is obtained.
- 15. A polynucleotide according to any one of claims 5-14, comprising first and second transcriptional enhancers which are tandemly present in the polynucleotide.
- 16. A polynucleotide according to any one of claims 5-15, wherein the 3′ end of the enhancer, or first enhancer, is between about 100 to about 1000 nucleotides upstream of the codon corresponding to the translational start of the EPSPS transit peptide, or the first nucleotide of an intron in the 5′ untranslated region.
- 17. A polynucleotide according to any one of claims 5-16, wherein the 3′ end of the enhancer, or first enhancer, is between about 150 to about 1000 nucleotides upstream of the codon corresponding to the translational start of the EPSPS transit peptide, or the first nucleotide of an intron in the 5′ untranslated region.
- 18. A polynucleotide according to any one of claims 5-17, wherein the 3′ end of the enhancer, or first enhancer, is between about 300 to about 950 nucleotides upstream of the codon corresponding to the translational start of the EPSPS transit peptide, or the first nucleotide of an intron in the 5′ untranslated region.
- 19. A polynucleotide according to any one of claims 5-18, wherein the 3′ end of the enhancer, or first enhancer, is between about 770 and about 790 nucleotides upstream of the codon corresponding to the translational start of the EPSPS transit peptide, or the first nucleotide of an intron in the 5′ untranslated region.
- 20. A polynucleotide according to any one of claims 5-19, wherein the 3′ end of the enhancer, or first enhancer, is between about 300 and about 380 nucleotides upstream of the codon corresponding to the translational start of the EPSPS transit peptide, or the first nucleotide of an intron in the 5′ untranslated region.
- 21. A polynucleotide according to any one of claims 5-18 and 20, wherein the 3′ end of the enhancer, or first enhancer, is between about 320 and about 350 nucleotides upstream of the codon corresponding to the translational start of the EPSPS transit peptide, or the first nucleotide of an intron in the 5′ untranslated region.
- 22. A polynucleotide according to any one of claims 5-21, wherein the region upstream of the promoter from the EPSPS gene comprises at least one enhancer derived from a sequence which is upstream from the transcriptional start of either the CaMV35S or FMV35S promoters.
- 23. A polynucleotide according to any one of claims 5-21, wherein the region upstream of the promoter from the EPSPS coding sequence comprises at least one enhancer derived from a sequence which is upstream from the transcriptional start of a promoter selected from the group consisting of those of the actin, rolDFd, S-adenosyl homocysteinase, histone, tubulin, polyubiquitin and plastocyasnin genes and the CaMV35S and FMV35S genes.
- 24. A polynucleotide according to claim 23, comprising in the 5′ to 3′ direction a first enhancer comprising a transcriptional enhancing region derived from a sequence which is upstream from the transcriptional start of either the CaMV35S or FMV35S promoters, and a second enhancer comprising a transcriptional enhancing region derived from a sequence which is upstream from the transcriptional start of an actin gene.
- 25. A polynucleotide according to claim 23, comprising in the 5′ to 3′ direction a first enhancer comprising a transcriptional enhancing region derived from a sequence which is upstream from the transcriptional start of either the CaMV35S or FMV35S promoters, and a second enhancer comprising a transcriptional enhancing region derived from a sequence which is upstream from the transcriptional start of the rolDfd gene.
- 26. A polynucleotide according to claim 23, comprising in the 5′ to 3′ direction a first enhancer comprising a transcriptional enhancing region derived from a sequence which is upstream from the transcriptional start of either the CaMV35S or FMV35S promoters, and a second enhancer comprising a transcriptional enhancing region derived from a sequence which is upstream from the transcriptional start of a histone gene.
- 27. A polynucleotide according to claim 23, comprising in the 5′ to 3′ direction a first enhancer comprising a transcriptional enhancing region derived from a sequence which is upstream from the transcriptional start of either the CaMV35S or FMV35S promoters, and a second enhancer comprising a transcriptional enhancing region derived from a sequence which is upstream from the transcriptional start of a tubulin gene.
- 28. A polynucleotide according to claim 23, comprising in the 5′ to 3′ direction a first enhancer comprising a transcriptional enhancing region derived from a sequence which is upstream from the transcriptional start of the FMV 35S promoter and a second enhancer comprising a transcriptional enhancing region derived from a sequence which is upstream from the transcriptional start of the CaMV35S promoter.
- 29. A polynucleotide according to any one of claims 5-28, wherein the nucleotides 5′ of the codon which constitutes the translational start of the soybean EPSPS chloroplast transit peptide are Kozack preferred.
- 30. A polynucleotide according to any one of claims 8 to 29, wherein 5′ of the genomic sequence which encodes the EPSPS CTP there is located a 5′ untranslated leader sequence derived from a relatively highly expressed gene
- 31. A polynucleotide according to the preceding claim, wherein the said highly expressed gene is selected from the group consisting of those which encode glucanase, chalcone synthase and Rubisco.
- 32. A polynucleotide according to any one of claims 8-31, which comprises a virally derived translational enhancer or non-viral translational enhancer located within the non translated region 5′ of the genomic sequence which encodes the EPSPS chloroplast transit peptide.
- 33. A polynucleotide according to any one of claims 5-32, further comprising regions encoding proteins capable of conferring upon plant material containing it at least one of the following agronomically desirable traits: resistance to insects, fungi, viruses, bacteria, nematodes, stress, dessication, and herbicides.
- 34. A polynucleotide according to claim 33, wherein the herbicide is other than glyphosate.
- 35. A polynucleotide according to the preceding claim wherein the herbicide is a protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPGO) inhibitor, in particular butefenicil, and the corresponding resistance protein is a PPGO or inhibitor resistant variant thereof.
- 36. A polynucleotide according to either of claims 33 to 35, wherein the insect resistance conferring regions encode crystal toxins derived from Bt, including secreted Bt toxins; protease inhibitors, lectins, Xenhorabdus/Photorhabdus toxins; the fungus resistance conferring regions are selected from the group consisting of those encoding known AFPs, defensins, chitinases, glucanases, Avr-Cf9; the bacterial resistance conferring regions are selected from the group consisting of those encoding cecropins and techyplesin and analogues thereof; the virus resistance regions are selected from the group consisting of genes encoding virus coat proteins, movement proteins, viral replicases, and antisense and ribozyme sequences which are known to provide for virus resistance; the stress, salt, and drought resistance conferring regions are selected from those that encode Glutathione-S-transferase and peroxidase, the sequence which constitutes the known CBF1 regulatory sequence and genes which are known to provide for accumulation of trehalose.
- 37. A polynucleotide according to claim 36, wherein the insect resistance conferring regions are selected from the group consisting of those that encode crylAc, crylAb, cry3A, cry1BC, Vip1A, Vip1B, Vip3A, Vip3B, cystein protease inhibitor, and snowdrop lectin.
- 38. A polynucleotide according to any preceding claim, which is modified in that mRNA instability motifs and/or unwanted splice regions are removed, or crop preferred codons are used so that expression of the thus modified polynucleotide in a plant yields substantially similar protein having a substantially similar activity/function to that obtained by expression of the protein encoding regions of the unmodified polynucleotide in the organism in which they are endogenous.
- 39. A polynucleotide according to the preceding claim, wherein the degree of identity between the modified polynucleotide and a polynucleotide endogenously contained within the said plant and encoding substantially the same protein is such as to prevent co-suppression between the modified and endogenous sequences.
- 40. A polynucleotide according to the preceding claim, wherein the said degree is less than about 70%.
- 41. A vector comprising the polynucleotide of any preceding claim.
- 42. Plant material which has been transformed with the polynucleotide of any one of claims 5-40, or the vector of claim 41.
- 43. Plant material which has been transformed with the polynucleotide of any one of claims 5-40 or the vector of claim 41, and which has been, or is, further transformed with a polynucleotide comprising regions encoding proteins capable of conferring upon plant material containing it at least one of the following agronomically desirable traits: resistance to insects, fungi, viruses, bacteria, nematodes, stress, desiccation, and herbicides.
- 44. Morphologically normal, fertile whole plants which have been regenerated from the material according to either of claims 42 or 43, their progeny seeds and parts.
- 45. Morphologically normal fertile whole plants which result from the crossing of pints which have been regenerated from material which has been transformed with the polynucleotide of any one of claims 5-40 and plants which result from regeneration of material transformed with a polyncleotide which comprises a sequence which encodes a protein capable of providing for elevated levels of phosphoenolpyruvate in the chloroplast.
- 46. Plants according to the preceding claim, wherein the said capable protein is a fusion of a CTP and PPS or a fusion of a CTP and a PPDK.
- 47. Morphologically normal fertile whole plants which comprise the polynucleotide of any one of claims 5-40 and which result from the crossing of plants which have been regenerated from material transformed with the polynucleotide of any one of claims 5-40 or the vector of claim 41, and plants which have been transformed with a polynucleotide comprising regions encoding a CTP/PPS or CTPPPDK, and/or regions encoding proteins capable of conferring upon plant material containing it at least one of the following agronomically desirable traits: resistance to insects, fungi, viruses, bacteria, nematodes, stress, desiccation, and herbicides, the progeny of the resultant plants, their seeds and parts.
- 48. Plants according to any one of claims 44 to 47, selected from the group consisting of field crops, fruits and vegetables such as canola, sunflower, tobacco, sugar beet, cotton, maize, wheat, barley, rice, sorghum, tomato, mango, peach, apple, mangel worzel, pear, strawberry, banana, melon, potato, carrot, lettuce, cabbage, onion, soya spp, sugar cane, pea, field beans, poplar, grape, citrus, alfalfa, rye, oats, turf and forage grasses, flax and oilseed rape, and nut producing plants insofar as they are not already specifically mentioned, their progeny, seeds and parts.
- 49. Soybean, canola, brassica, cotton, sugar beet, sunflower, peas, potatoes and mangel worzels according to any one of claims 44-48.
- 50. A method of selectively controlling weeds in a field, the field comprising weeds and plants or progeny according to any one of claims 44-49, the method comprising application to the field of a glyphosate type herbicide in an amount sufficient to control the weeds without substantially affecting the plants.
- 51. A method according to the preceding claim, further comprising application to the field either before or after application of the glyphosate herbicide of one or more of the following: a herbicide, insecticide, fungicide, nematicide, bacteriocide and an anti-viral.
- 52. A method of producing plants which are substantially tolerant or substantially resistant to glyphosate herbicide, comprising the steps of:
(i) transforming plant material with the polynucleotide of any one of claims 5 to 40 or the vector of claim 41;(ii) selecting the thus transformed material; and (iii) regenerating the thus selected material into morphologically normal fertile whole plants.
- 53. A method according to the preceding claim, wherein the transformation involves the introduction of the polynucleotide into the material by: (i) biolistic bombardment of the material with particles coated with the polynucleotide; or (ii) impalement of the material on silicon carbide fibres which are coated with a solution comprising the polynucleotide; or (iii) introduction of the polynucleotide or vector into Agrobacterium and co-cultivation of the thus transformed Agiobacterium with plant material which is thereby transformed and is subsequently regenerated.
- 54. A method according to the preceding claim, wherein the transformed material is selected by its resistance to glyphosate.
- 55. Use of the polynucleotide of any one of claims 5 to 40, or the vector of claim 41, in the production of plant tissues and/or morphologically normal fertile whole plants which are substantially tolerant or substantially resistant to glyphosate herbicide.
- 56. Use of the polynucleotide of any one of claims 5 to 40, or the vector of claim 41, in the production of a herbicidal target for the high throughput in vitro screening of potential herbicides.
- 57. A method of selecting biological material transformed so as to express a gene of interest, wherein the transformed material comprises the polynucleotide of any one of claims 5 to 40 or the vector of claim 41 and wherein the selection comprises exposing the transformed material to glyphosate or a salt thereof, and selecting surviving material.
- 58. A method according to the preceding claim, wherein the biological material is of plant origin.
- 59. A method according to the preceding claim, wherein the plant is a dicot.
- 60. A method according to'the preceding claim, wherein the dicot is selected from group consisting of soybean, cotton, sugar beet, Brassica napus, campestris or oleraceae.
- 61. A method for regenerating a fertile transformed plant to contain foreign DNA comprising the steps of:
(a) producing regenerable tissue from said plant to be transformed; (b) transforming said regenerable tissue with said foreign DNA, wherein said foreign DNA comprises a selectable DNA sequence, wherein said sequence functions in a regenerable tissue as a selection device; (c) between about one day to about 60 days after step (b), placing said regenerable tissue from step (b) in a medium capable of producing shoots from said tissue, wherein said medium may further contain a compound used to select regenerable tissue containing said selectable DNA sequence to allow identification or selection of the transformed regenerated tissue; (d) after at least one shoot has formed from the selected tissue of step (c) transferring said shoot to a second medium capable of producing roots from said shoot to produce a plantlet, wherein the second medium optionally contains the said compound; and (e) growing said plantlet into a fertile transgenic plant wherein the foreign DNA is transmitted to progeny plants in Mendelian fashion, wherein between step (b) and step (c) there is an optional step of placing the transformed material onto callus inducing medium, characterised in that the foreign DNA is, or the selectable DNA sequence comprised by the foreign DNA comprises, the polynucleotide according to any one of claims 5 to 40, and the said compound is glyphosate or a salt thereof.
- 62. A method according to the preceding claim, wherein the plant is a dicot selected from the group consisting soybean, cotton, sugar beet, Brassica napus, catizpestiris or oleraceae.
- 63. A method according to either of claims 61 or 62, wherein the said regenerable tissue is selected from the group consisting of embryogenic calli, somatic embryos, immature embryos etc.
- 64. A diagnostic kit comprising means for detecting the enzyme of any one of claims 1-4 or that encoded by the polynucleotide of any one of claims 5 to 40 or the polynucleotide or vector of any one of claims 5 to 41.
Priority Claims (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
0023911.1 |
Sep 2000 |
GB |
|
0023910.3 |
Sep 2000 |
GB |
|
0027693.1 |
Nov 2000 |
GB |
|
Parent Case Info
[0001] The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/158,027, filed on Oct. 7, 1999 and to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/173,564, filed Dec. 30, 1999, the disclosures of each of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
PCT Information
Filing Document |
Filing Date |
Country |
Kind |
PCT/GB01/04131 |
9/14/2001 |
WO |
|