US 12,139,719 B2
Method for increasing cold or frost tolerance in a plant
Frank Ludewig, Einbeck (DE); Karsten Harms, Worms (DE); Wolfgang Koch, Einbeck (DE); Uwe Sonnewald, Erlangen (DE); Christina Mudsam, Veitsbronn (DE); Wolfgang Zierer, Haiming (DE); Cristina Martins Rodrigues, Kaiserslautern (DE); Isabel Keller, Kaiserslautern (DE); Benjamin Pommerrenig, Kaiserslautern (DE); and Ekkehard Neuhaus, Kaiserslautern (DE)
Assigned to KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA, Einbeck (DE); and SUDZUCKER AG, Mannheim (DE)
Appl. No. 17/783,711
Filed by KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA, Einbeck (DE); and SUDZUCKER AG, Mannheim (DE)
PCT Filed Dec. 11, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/085835
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 9, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/116448, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 17, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 19215963 (EP), filed on Dec. 13, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2023/0332170 A1, Oct. 19, 2023
Int. Cl. C12N 15/82 (2006.01); C07K 14/415 (2006.01)
CPC C12N 15/8273 (2013.01) [C07K 14/415 (2013.01); C12N 15/8245 (2013.01); C12N 15/827 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
 
1. A method of increasing the cold tolerance of a Beta vulgaris plant or part thereof and/or preventing or inhibiting bolting of a Beta vulgaris plant, comprising deregulating the phloem flux in said Beta vulgaris plant or part thereof,
wherein the method further comprises modifying said Beta vulgaris plant or part thereof to:
i) decrease the expression of a gene comprising:
a. the nucleotide sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 4; or
b. the nucleotide sequence having the coding sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 5; or
ii) decrease the activity or expression of a polypeptide:
a. encoded by the nucleotide sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 4 or 5; or
b. comprising the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 6;
wherein the cold tolerance of the modified Beta vulgaris plant or plant part is increased relative to the cold tolerance of an unmodified Beta vulgaris plant or plant part,
wherein the bolting of the modified Beta vulgaris plant is inhibited or prevented relative to the bolting of an unmodified Beta vulgaris plant,
wherein the expression of the gene in the modified Beta vulgaris plant is decreased relative to the expression of the gene in an unmodified Beta vulgaris plant, and
wherein the activity or expression of the polypeptide in the modified Beta vulgaris plant is decreased relative to the activity or expression of the polypeptide in an unmodified Beta vulgaris plant.