Method of Conferring Resistance Against a Fusarium Plant Disease

Simple SummaryContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

This patent describes a method for making plants, particularly cereals such as wheat and barley, resistant to diseases caused by Fusarium species, especially Fusarium head blight. The method involves genetically engineering the plant so that it can produce RNA molecules (via host-induced gene silencing) that specifically silence the CSX1 gene in Fusarium fungi, impairing the fungus’s ability to infect and damage the plant. The invention also covers transgenic plants made by this method, as well as synthetic double-stranded RNAs and their formulations for triggering gene silencing in Fusarium.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Development of Fusarium-resistant cereal crops (e.g., wheat, barley, oats, rye, rice, maize).
• Production of transgenic seeds or plants for use by farmers to reduce Fusarium-related crop losses.
• Direct application of double-stranded RNA formulations to fields for control of Fusarium infections without genetic modification.
• Biotechnological companies offering molecular tools for plant disease resistance.
• Reducing mycotoxin contamination in the food supply linked to Fusarium infections.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Significantly increases resistance of crops to Fusarium diseases, potentially reducing yield losses.
• Reduces or eliminates the need for chemical fungicides, promoting more sustainable agriculture.
• Helps in combating fungicide resistance, which is a growing problem with traditional fungal disease management.
• May decrease the presence of harmful mycotoxins in food and feed, improving food safety.
• Provides a highly specific and targeted approach to disease control, minimizing unintended effects on non-target organisms.

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Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a method of conferring to a plant resistance against a plant disease caused by a Fusarium species, to a transgenic Fusarium -resistant plant, to a double-stranded RNA and a composition comprising same. Object of the invention is the provision of means for reducing susceptibility of food crops, in particular cereals, to fungal attack. For this purpose, the present invention provides in one aspect a method of conferring to a plant resistance against a plant disease caused by a Fusarium species, the method comprising genetically engineering the plant in a manner to enable host-induced gene silencing of a Fusarium gene encoding CSX1 having or comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 or of a Fusarium gene encoding a protein sharing at least 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98% or 99% sequence identity with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2.