Bin1: Receptor Kinase for Enhacement of Plant Yields and Disease Resistance

Background: Certain growth substances regulate the internal signaling mechanisms of plants. Once such class of substances known as brassinosteroids is a unique class of biologically active natural products that possess plant steroidal hormone activity. This invention provides identification of nucleic acid molecules that encode the proteins involved in the synthesis of brassionosteroids. Invention Description: The brassionosteroids can be used as plant protectants from both pesticide and environmental adversity and appear to be useful in insect control. Further brassinosteroids can regulate some stage of the reproductive cycle of plants thereby providing means to increase or decrease the reproductive process. They also appear to stimulate root growth. Historically brassinosteroids have not been used in actual agricultural applications due to the expense of producing them and difficulties in purification. The invention describes a novel steroid receptor kinase Bin1 which is involved in the pathway for synthesis of the plant brassiosteroid brassinolide. Overexpression of Bin1 in transgenic plants provides plants characterized as having enhanced disease resistance increased plant yield or vegetative biomass and increased seed yield. Applications: -Food crops -Grass and sod -Growth yield and reproduction. Status of Development: Validated in corn wheat soybean cotton and tobacco