Methods are described for selecting or producing a cereal plant comprising a functional restorer gene for wheat G-type cytoplasmic male sterility and nucleic acids for use therein.

The present invention provides a novel gene WMS conferring wheat male sterility, its anther-specific expression promoter, and uses of the same. In wheat, a well-known gene Ms2 causing dominant male sterility has been widely applied in recurrent selection in China. A RNA-seq approach was performed to reveal the anther-specific transcriptome in a pair of Ms2 isogenic lines, ‘Lumai 15’ and ‘Lumai 15+Ms2’. As a result, a WMS gene was identified showing anther-specific expression at the early stage of meiosis and only in wheat carrying the Ms2 gene. The regulation of WMS could alter plant male fertility. The promoter of WMS was found to comprise anther-specific activity. Thus, the present invention might be used to achieve anther-specific gene expression, to develop male sterility in various plant species, to establish recurrent selection in various plant species, and to assist hybrid seed production.

A fertility restoration gene in wheat and uses thereof, belonging to the field of plant biotechnology, specifically relating to the cloning of a recessive nuclear male sterility gene and a promoter thereof, and uses thereof in hybrid breeding. The fertility restoration gene FRG1 was successfully cloned by flow cytometry and high-throughput sequencing. The FRG1 gene can completely restore the male fertility of a Lanzhou genic male sterile mutant or allelic mutants thereof, which lays a foundation for the construction of a new wheat hybrid breeding technology system, meanwhile, which provides more possibilities to solve the technical bottlenecks of “three lines” and “two lines” hybridization technology of wheat, such as unstable fertility of sterile lines, limited resources for hybrid variety, the complexity of seed production technology and the high cost of seed production. The provided gene and method for propagation and maintenance of the sterile line have important significance and application value for hybrid breeding in wheat.

Compositions and methods are capable of modulating male fertility in a plant. Compositions comprise polynucleotides and polypeptides, and fragments and variants thereof, which modulate male fertility. Expression cassettes comprise a male-fertility polynucleotide, or fragment or variant thereof, operably linked to a promoter, wherein expression of the polynucleotide modulates the male fertility of a plant. The level and/or activity of a polynucleotide that influences male fertility is modulated in a plant or plant part. Regulatory sequences drive expression in a male-tissue-preferred manner and may be targets to downregulate an operably linked gene. Methods to track mutations that induce nuclear recessive male sterility in subsequent selfing and crossing of wheat lines containing the mutations are also provided. Male-sterile plants may be maintained by pollinating with a maintainer plant.

This disclosure concerns the use of endogenous plant RNAi machinery to preferentially or specifically reduce transgene expression. In some embodiments, the disclosure concerns specific reduction of transgene expression in male plant tissues, for example, to provide an economical male sterility system of hybrid seed production.

The invention provides methods and compositions for identifying transgenic seed that contain a transgene of interest, but lack a marker gene. Use of an identification sequence that results in a detectable phenotype increases the efficiency of screening for seed and plants in which transgene sequences not linked to a gene of interest have segregated from the sequence encoding a gene of interest.

A nuclear maize gene is mutated to result in dominant male sterility. Two mutants are provided which impact signal peptide processing. Restoration constructs and methods are provided for use of the dominant male-sterile mutants in producing hybrid seed for male-sterile hybrid plants. Other signal-peptide modifications are provided. Orthologs of the wild type or mutated gene in various species are provided.

Compositions and methods comprising polynucleotides and polypeptides having 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) activity and having insensitivity to an HPPD inhibitor are provided. Further provided are nucleic acid constructs, plants, plant cells, explants, seeds and grain having the HPPD sequences. Various methods of employing the HPPD sequences are provided. Such methods include, for example, methods for producing an HPPD inhibitor tolerant plant, plant cell, explant or seed and methods of controlling weeds in a field containing a crop employing the plants and/or seeds disclosed herein. Methods are also provided to identify additional HPPD variants. Further provided are various methods and compositions that allow the various HPPD polypeptides and variant and fragments thereof to be expressed in a chloroplast or transported to a chloroplast.

Compositions and methods are capable of modulating male fertility in a plant. Compositions comprise polynucleotides and polypeptides, and fragments and variants thereof, which modulate male fertility. Expression cassettes comprise a male-fertility polynucleotide, or fragment or variant thereof, operably linked to a promoter, wherein expression of the polynucleotide modulates the male fertility of a plant. The level and/or activity of a polynucleotide that influences male fertility is modulated in a plant or plant part. Regulatory sequences drive expression in a male-tissue-preferred manner and may be targets to downregulate an operably linked gene. Methods to track mutations that induce nuclear recessive male sterility in subsequent selfing and crossing of wheat lines containing the mutations are also provided. Male-sterile plants may be maintained by pollinating with a maintainer plant.

The application discloses a wheat fertility-related gene TaMS7 and an application method thereof, and belongs to the field of biotechnology. By analyzing a genome-wide expression profile of wheat anthers at different development stages, we obtain the wheat fertility-related gene TaMS7, and regulate the fertility of a plant by adjusting expression of the gene to produce and maintain wheat male sterility lines and to prepare hybrid seeds, wherein the discovery of this gene has important theoretical and practical significance for establishing an efficient technology system of wheat hybrid seed production, and for studying wheat male sterility mechanism and heterosis.