Non-transgenic herbicide resistant plants

Abstract

The present invention relates to the production of a non-transgenic plant resistant or tolerant to a herbicide of the phosphonomethylglycine family, e.g., glyphosate. The present invention also relates to the use of a recombinagenic oligonucleobase to make a desired mutation in the chromosomal or episomal sequences of a plant in the gene encoding for 5-enol pyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS). The mutated protein, which substantially maintains the catalytic activity of the wild-type protein, allows for increased resistance or tolerance of the plant to a herbicide of the phosphonomethylglycine family, and allows for the substantially normal growth or development of the plant, its organs, tissues or cells as compared to the wild-type plant irrespective of the presence or absence of the herbicide. The present invention also relates to a non-transgenic plant cell in which the EPSPS gene has been mutated, a non-transgenic plant regenerated therefrom, as well as a plant resulting from a cross using a regenerated non-transgenic plant having a mutated EPSPS gene.

Description

[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.1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to the production of a non-transgenic plant resistant or tolerant to a herbicide of the phosphonomethylglycine family, e.g., glyphosate. The present invention also relates to the use of a recombinagenic oligonucleobase to make a desired mutation in the chromosomal or episomal sequences of a plant in the gene encoding for 5-enol pyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS). The mutated protein, which substantially maintains the catalytic activity of the wild-type protein, allows for increased resistance or tolerance of the plant to a herbicide of the phosphonomethylglycine family, and allows for the substantially normal growth or development of the...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention is about a non-transgenic plant or plant cell that has increased resistance or tolerance to a herbicide called glyphosate, which is a member of the phosphonomethylglycine family. The invention is achieved by introducing a mutation in the gene that produces the enzyme called EPSPS, which is the target of glyphosate. The mutated plant has the same catalytic activity as the wild-type plant and is resistant to glyphosate. The invention also includes a method for selectively controlling weeds in a field and a method for producing seeds from the mutated plant. The mutations in the EPSPS gene can be introduced using a recombinagenic oligonucleobase."

Problems solved by technology

Many mutations of the EPSPS gene are chosen so as to produce an EPSPS enzyme that is resistant to herbicides, but unfortunately, the EPSPS enzyme produced by the mutated EPSPS gene has a significantly lower enzymatic activity than the wild-type EPSPS.

However, many complications and problems are associated with these examples.

The low expression or low enzymatic activity of the mutated enzyme results in abnormally low levels of growth and development of the plant.

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