US 12,331,306 B2
Herbicide tolerant plants expressing a cyanobacterial plastoquinone biosynthetic pathway
Manuel Dubald, Raleigh, NC (US)
Assigned to BASF Agricultural Solutions US LLC, Research Triangle Park, NC (US)
Appl. No. 17/251,550
Filed by BASF Agricultural Solutions Seed US LLC, Florham Park, NJ (US)
PCT Filed Jun. 14, 2019, PCT No. PCT/US2019/037295
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 11, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/005588, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 2, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/691,629, filed on Jun. 29, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0254091 A1, Aug. 19, 2021
Int. Cl. C12N 15/82 (2006.01); C12N 9/02 (2006.01); C12N 9/10 (2006.01); C12N 9/88 (2006.01)
CPC C12N 15/8274 (2013.01) [C12N 9/0073 (2013.01); C12N 9/1007 (2013.01); C12N 9/1085 (2013.01); C12N 9/88 (2013.01); C12Y 114/13001 (2013.01); C12Y 201/01 (2013.01); C12Y 205/01 (2013.01); C12Y 205/01042 (2013.01); C12Y 401/01 (2013.01); C12Y 401/0304 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
 
1. A method for providing a plant having increased tolerance to a 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) inhibitor herbicide, the method comprising:
(i) expressing in the plant transgenes encoding exogenous polypeptides of a cyanobacterial pathway for biosynthesis of 2-solanesyl-1,4-benzoquinol (SBQ) from endogenous chorismate, said exogenous polypeptides being the polypeptides of:
(a) at least one cyanobacterial chorismate lyase enzyme,
(b) at least one cyanobacterial 4-hydroxybenzoate solanesyltransferase enzyme,
(c) at least one cyanobacterial 4-hydroxy-3-prenylbenzoate decarboxylase enzyme, and
(d) at least one cyanobacterial solanesylphenol hydroxylase enzyme;
(ii) growing the plants having the transgene in the presence of an herbicide; and
(iii) selecting the plants, wherein the selected plants have increased tolerance relative to a control plant not having the transgenes exogenous polypeptides of a cyanobacterial pathway for biosynthesis of 2-solanesyl-1,4-benzoquinol (SBQ);
wherein the chorismate lyase enzyme polypeptide comprises a UbiC polypeptide having at least 75% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 1 or to the polypeptide encoded by SEQ ID NO: 11,
wherein the 4-hydroxybenzoate solanesyltransferase enzyme polypeptide comprises a UbiA polypeptide having at least 75% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2 or to the polypeptide encoded by SEQ ID NO: 12;
wherein the 4-hydroxy-3-prenylbenzoate decarboxylase enzyme polypeptide comprises either a UbiX polypeptide or a UbiD polypeptide, or said plant comprises two cyanobacterial 4-hydroxy-3-prenylbenzoate decarboxylase enzyme polypeptides comprising a UbiX polypeptide and a UbiD polypeptide wherein the UbiX polypeptide has at least 75% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 3 or to the polypeptide encoded by SEQ ID NO: 13, and/or wherein the UbiD polypeptide has at least 75% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 4 or to the polypeptide encoded by SEQ ID NO: 14;
wherein the 4-hydroxy-3-prenylbenzoate decarboxylase enzyme polypeptide comprises either a UbiX polypeptide or a UbiD polypeptide, or said plant comprises two cyanobacterial 4-hydroxy-3-prenylbenzoate decarboxylase enzyme polypeptides comprising a UbiX polypeptide and a UbiD polypeptide wherein the UbiX polypeptide has at least 75% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 3 or to the polypeptide encoded by SEQ ID NO: 13, and/or wherein the UbiD polypeptide has at least 75% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 4 or to the polypeptide encoded by SEQ ID NO: 14; and
wherein the solanesylphenol hydroxylase enzyme polypeptide comprises a UbiH polypeptide wherein the UbiH polypeptide has at least 75% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 5 or to the polypeptide encoded by SEQ ID NO: 15.