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Plant CO2 Sensors that Bind CO2 and Regulate Water Use Efficiency in Plants

Technology Application

Manipulating how plants sense CO2 will aid in the production of crops with altered and improved CO2/gas exchange and water use efficiency and may also improve plant growth of different plant species at a higher atmospheric CO2 concentration. This could have commercial utility by creating plants that are useful in: Improving water-use efficiency for crops Creating drought resistant crops Optimizing plant growth in higher CO2 conditions Biomass accumulation/biofuel production The plants with mutated CO2 sensor genes show a stomatal response as measured by real-time gas exchange analysis to changes in CO2 concentration. The proteins encoding the CO2 sensing genes can bind CO2.

Detailed Technology Description

UC San Diego investigators have found a new method to manipulate the exchange of water and CO2 through guard-cell stomata by controlling newly discovered CO2 sensor genes. One can thereby modify net CO2 uptake and water use efficiency in plants by modulating expression of these genes in guard cells. These findings suggest a potentially vital role for the identified genes in the sensing/signaling of CO2 in plants. These investigators have also identified a guard cell-specific promoter that drives higher levels of expression than any other promoter in guard cells. Plant guard cells control CO2 uptake and water loss and are critically important for drought tolerance. This promoter has strength and specificity allowing effective transgene expression or silencing. Compared with other well-known guard cell promoters, this super-strong guard cell promoter is around 20 times stronger. Compared with the commonly used universal strong cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter, this super-strong guard cell promoter drives much higher expression of reporter genes specifically in guard cells with a minimum background expression in the surrounding cells.

Supplementary Information

Patent Number: US20100299782A1
Application Number: US2009597880A
Inventor: Schroeder, Julian | Israelsson-Nordstrom, Maria | Kuhn, Josef M. | Yang, Yingzhen | Hu, Honghong | Boisson-Dernier, Aurelien
Priority Date: 27 Apr 2007
Priority Number: US20100299782A1
Application Date: 12 Jul 2010
Publication Date: 25 Nov 2010
IPC Current: A01H000100 | A01H000500 | C07H002104 | C07K0014415 | C07K001616 | C12N000115 | C12N000119 | C12N000121 | C12N000504 | C12N000510 | C12N000516 | C12N000988 | C12N001108 | C12N001112 | C12N001114 | C12N001563 | C12N001582 | C12P000300 | C12P002102 | C40B004008 | C40B004010
US Class: 800278 | 4350691 | 435168 | 435176 | 435179 | 435180 | 435232 | 4352523 | 43525411 | 4352542 | 4353201 | 435325 | 435328 | 435331 | 435348 | 435410 | 435419 | 506017 | 506018 | 530370 | 5303873 | 5303879 | 5360232 | 5360236 | 5360241 | 5360245 | 800289 | 800298
Assignee Applicant: The Regents of the University of California
Title: PLANT CO2 SENSORS, NUCLEIC ACIDS ENCODING THEM, AND METHODS FOR MAKING AND USING THEM
Usefulness: PLANT CO2 SENSORS, NUCLEIC ACIDS ENCODING THEM, AND METHODS FOR MAKING AND USING THEM
Summary: The isolated, synthetic or recombinant nucleic acid (polynucleotide) and methods are useful for producing a recombinant polypeptide; enzymatically catalyzing the conversion of carbon dioxide to bicarbonate and protons; down-regulating or decreasing CO 2 and/or water exchange; #a up-regulating or increasing CO 2 and/or water exchange in a guard cell; making an enhanced WUE, or drought-resistant, plant; opening or closing a stomatal pore in a plant, plant part, a plant organ, a plant leaf, or a plant cell; enhancing or optimizing biomass accumulation in a plant, a plant leaf, a plant organ, a plant part, a plant cell or seed; reducing leaf temperature and enhancing transpiration in a plant, a plant leave, or a plant cell; and for increasing or decreasing oxygenation efficiency and increasing carbon fixation in a guard cell in the epidermis of a plant, a plant leaf, plant organ, or a plant cell (all claimed).
Novelty: New isolated, synthetic or recombinant nucleic acid (polynucleotide), useful for enzymatically catalyzing conversion of carbon dioxide to bicarbonate and protons, and for reducing leaf temperature and enhancing transpiration in a plant

Industry

Agriculture

Sub Category

Plant

Application No.

8916745

Others

Intellectual Property Info

Patent pending, worldwide rights available.

Tech ID/UC Case

19339/2007-209-0

Related Cases

2007-209-0

*Abstract

It is currently unknown how plants sense the level of CO2 in the atmosphere. Previously, no CO2 sensors have been identified in plants. Knowledge of how atmospheric CO2 is perceived could be used to manipulate plant CO2 responses so that the carbon and water use efficiency during plant growth could be optimized. The water use efficiency defines how well a plant can balance the loss of water through stomata with the net CO2 uptake for photosynthesis, and hence biomass accumulation.

*IP Issue Date

Dec 23, 2014

*Principal Investigator

Name: Aurelien Boisson

Department:

Name: Honghong Hu

Department:

Name: Maria Nordstrom

Department:

Name: Josef Kuhn

Department:

Name: Julian Schroeder

Department:

Name: Yingzhen Yang

Department:

Country/Region

USA