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Example 161
To a solution of 2-(piperazin-1-yl)ethanol (0.73 g, 5.6 mmol, 1 eq.) in DMF (10 mL) was added K2CO3 (1.56 g, 11.3 mmol, 2 eq.) followed by 1,2,4-trifluoro-5-nitrobenzene (1 g, 5.6 mmol, 1 eq.) and the mixture was stirred at 0° C. for 1 hour. The mixture was poured into ice-water (100 mL), extracted by EA (3×40 mL), and the organic layers were combined, washed with brine (150 mL), concentrated and purified via column chromatography (10-95% CH3CN—H2O) to afford 2-(4-(2,5-difluoro-4-nitrophenyl)piperazin-1-yl)ethanol (0.65 g, 41%) as a yellow solid.
To a solution of 2-(4-(2,5-difluoro-4-nitrophenyl)piperazin-1-yl)ethanol (0.65 g, 2.3 mmol) in MeOH (50 mL) was added Pd/C (100 mg) and the resulting mixture was stirred at r.t. overnight. The Pd/C was removed by filtration and the filtrate was concentrated to afford 2-(4-(4-amino-2,5-difluorophenyl)piperazin-1-yl)ethanol (0.58 g, 99%).
To a suspension of 2-(4-(4-amino-2,5-difluorophenyl)piperazin-1-yl)ethanol (270 mg, 0.88 mmol, 1 eq.) and N-(3-(2-chloroquinazolin-8-yl)phenyl)acrylamide (225 mg, 0.88 mmol, 1 eq.) in n-BuOH (10 mL) was added TFA (0.5 mL, 4.4 mmol, 5 eq.) and the resulting mixture was stirred at 90° C. overnight. The mixture was concentrated, diluted with DCM (20 mL), washed with Na2CO3 solution (20 mL), dried, concentrated and purified via column chromatography (DCM/MeOH=10/1) to afford N-(3-(2-((2,5-difluoro-4-(4-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperazin-1-yl)phenyl)amino)quinazolin-8-yl)phenyl)acrylamide (120 mg, 26%) as yellow solid. LRMS (M+H+) m/z calculated 531.2, found 531.2. 1H NMR (DMSO-d6, 400 MHz) δ 10.18 (s, 1H), 9.37 (s, 1H), 9.17 (s, 1H), 7.97-7.94 (m, 3H), 7.83-7.74 (m, 2H), 7.50-7.39 (m, 3H), 6.90-6.85 (m, 1H), 6.48-6.41 (m, 1H), 6.23 (dd, 1H), 5.73 (dd, 1H), 4.42 (t, 1H), 3.55-3.50 (m, 2H), 2.94-2.91 (m, 4H), 2.55-2.54 (m, 4H), 2.44 (t, 2H).
Example 4
Composition H was manufactured according to the following procedure:
Example 1
a. Materials and Methods
i. Vector Construction
1. Virus-Like Particle
As most broadly neutralizing HPV antibodies are derived from the highly conserved N-terminal region of L2, amino acids 14-122 of HPV16 L2 were used to create HBc VLPs. L2 with flanking linker regions was inserted into the tip of the a-helical spike of an HBc gene copy which was fused to another copy of HBc lacking the L2 insert. This arrangement allows the formation of HBc dimers that contain only a single copy of L2, increasing VLP stability (Peyret et al. 2015). This heterodimer is referred to as HBche-L2. A dicot plant-optimized HPV16 L2 coding sequence was designed based upon the sequence of GenBank Accession No. CAC51368.1 and synthesized in vitro using synthetic oligonucleotides by the method described (Stemmer et al., 1995). The plant-optimized L2 nucleotide sequence encoding residues 1-473 is posted at GenBank Accession No. KC330735. PCR end-tailoring was used to insert Xbal and SpeI sites flanking the L2 aa 14-122 using primers L2-14-Xba-F (SEQ ID NO. 1: CGTCTAGAGTCCGCAACCCAACTTTACAAG) and L2-122-Spe-R (SEQ ID NO. 2: G GGACTAGTTGGGGCACCAGCATC). The SpeI site was fused to a sequence encoding a 6His tag, and the resulting fusion was cloned into a geminiviral replicon vector (Diamos, 2016) to produce pBYe3R2K2Mc-L2(14-122)6H.
The HBche heterodimer VLP system was adapted from Peyret et al (2015). Using the plant optimized HBc gene (Huang et al., 2009), inventors constructed a DNA sequence encoding a dimer comprising HBc aa 1-149, a linker (G2S)5G (SEQ ID NO. 39), HBc aa 1-77, a linker GT(G4S)2 (SEQ ID NO. 40), HPV-16 L2 aa 14-122, a linker (GGS)2GSSGGSGG (SEQ ID NO. 41), and HBc aa 78-176. The dimer sequence was generated using multiple PCR steps including overlap extensions and insertion of BamHI and SpeI restriction sites flanking the L2 aa 14-122, using primers L2-14-Bam-F (SEQ ID NO. 3: CAGGATCCGCAACC CAACTTTACAAGAC) and L2-122-Spe-R (SEQ ID NO. 2). The HBche-L2 coding sequence was inserted into a geminiviral replicon binary vector pBYR2eK2M (
2. Recombinant Immune Complex
The recombinant immune complex (RIC) vector was adapted from Kim et al., (2015). The HPV-16 L2 (aa 14-122) segment was inserted into the BamHI and SpeI sites of the gene encoding humanized mAb 6D8 heavy chain, resulting in 6D8 epitope-tagged L2. The heavy chain fusion was inserted into an expression cassette linked to a 6D8 kappa chain expression cassette, all inserted into a geminiviral replicon binary vector (
ii. Agroinfiltration of Nicotiana benthamiana Leaves
Binary vectors were separately introduced into Agrobacterium tumefaciens EHA105 by electroporation. The resulting strains were verified by restriction digestion or PCR, grown overnight at 30° C., and used to infiltrate leaves of 5- to 6-week-old N. benthamiana maintained at 23-25° C. Briefly, the bacteria were pelleted by centrifugation for 5 minutes at 5,000 g and then resuspended in infiltration buffer (10 mM 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid (MES), pH 5.5 and 10 mM MgSO4) to OD600=0.2, unless otherwise described. The resulting bacterial suspensions were injected by using a syringe without needle into leaves through a small puncture (Huang et al. 2004). Plant tissue was harvested after 5 DPI, or as stated for each experiment. Leaves producing GFP were photographed under UV illumination generated by a B-100AP lamp (UVP, Upland, CA).
iii. Protein Extraction
Total protein extract was obtained by homogenizing agroinfiltrated leaf samples with 1:5 (w:v) ice cold extraction buffer (25 mM sodium phosphate, pH 7.4, 100 mM NaCl, 1 mM EDTA, 0.1% Triton X-100, 10 mg/mL sodium ascorbate, 0.3 mg/mL PMSF) using a Bullet Blender machine (Next Advance, Averill Park, NY) following the manufacturer's instruction. To enhance solubility, homogenized tissue was rotated at room temperature or 4° C. for 30 minutes. The crude plant extract was clarified by centrifugation at 13,000 g for 10 minutes at 4° C. Necrotic leaf tissue has reduced water weight, which can lead to inaccurate measurements based on leaf mass. Therefore, extracts were normalized based on total protein content by Bradford protein assay kit (Bio-Rad) with bovine serum albumin as standard.
iv. SDS-PAGE and Western Blot
Clarified plant protein extract was mixed with sample buffer (50 mM Tris-HCl, pH 6.8, 2% SDS, 10% glycerol, 0.02% bromophenol blue) and separated on 4-15% polyacrylamide gels (Bio-Rad). For reducing conditions, 0.5M DTT was added, and the samples were boiled for 10 minutes prior to loading. Polyacrylamide gels were either transferred to a PVDF membrane or stained with Coomassie stain (Bio-Rad) following the manufacturer's instructions. For L2 detection, the protein transferred membranes were blocked with 5% dry milk in PBST (PBS with 0.05% tween-20) overnight at 4° C. and probed with polyclonal rabbit anti-L2 diluted 1:5000 in 1% PBSTM, followed by goat anti-rabbit horseradish peroxidase conjugate (Sigma). Bound antibody was detected with ECL reagent (Amersham).
v. Immunization of Mice and Sample Collection
All animals were handled in accordance to the Animal Welfare Act and Arizona State University IACUC. Female BALB/C mice, 6-8 weeks old, were immunized subcutaneously with purified plant-expressed L2 (14-122), HBche-L2 VLP, L2 RIC, or PBS mixed 1:1 with Imject® Alum (Thermo Scientific, Rockford, IL). In all treatment groups, the total weight of antigen was set to deliver an equivalent 5 μg of L2. Doses were given on days 0, 21, and 42. Serum collection was done as described (Santi et al. 2008) by submandibular bleed on days 0, 21, 42, and 63.
vi. Antibody Measurements
Mouse antibody titers were measured by ELISA. Bacterially-expressed L2 (amino acids 11-128) was bound to 96-well high-binding polystyrene plates (Corning), and the plates were blocked with 5% nonfat dry milk in PBST. After washing the wells with PBST (PBS with 0.05% Tween 20), the diluted mouse sera were added and incubated. Mouse antibodies were detected by incubation with polyclonal goat anti-mouse IgG-horseradish peroxidase conjugate (Sigma). The plate was developed with TMB substrate (Pierce) and the absorbance was read at 450 nm. Endpoint titers were taken as the reciprocal of the lowest dilution which produced an OD450 reading twice the background. IgG1 and IgG2a antibodies were measured with goat-anti mouse IgG1 or IgG2a horseradish peroxidase conjugate.
vii. Electron Microscopy
Purified samples of HBche or HBche-L2 were initially incubated on 75/300 mesh grids coated with formvar. Following incubation, samples were briefly washed twice with deionized water then negatively stained with 2% aqueous uranyl acetate. Transmission electron microscopy was performed with a Phillips CM-12 microscope, and images were acquired with a Gatan model 791 CCD camera.
viii. Statistical Analysis
The significance of vaccine treatments and virus neutralization was measured by non-parametric Mann-Whitney test using GraphPad prism software. Two stars (**) indicates p values <0.05. Three stars (***) indicates p values <0.001.
b. Design and Expression of HBc VLPs and RIC Displaying HPV16 L2
BeYDV plant expression vectors (
To express L2-containing MC, amino acids 14-122 of HPV16 L2 were fused with linker to the C-terminus of the 6D8 antibody heavy chain and tagged with the 6D8 epitope (Kim et al. 2015). A BeYDV vector (
After rigorous genetic optimization, the N. benthamiana system is capable of producing very high levels of recombinant protein, up to 30-50% of the total soluble plant protein, in 4-5 days (Diamos et al. 2016). Using this system, we produced and purified milligram quantities of fully assembled and potently immunogenic HBc VLPs displaying HPV L2 through a simple one-step purification process (
c. Purification and Characterization of HBche-L2 and L2 RIC
To assess the assembly of HBc-L2 VLP, clarified plant extracts containing either HBche-L2 or HBche were analyzed by sucrose gradient sedimentation. HBche-L2 sedimented largely with HBche, which is known to form VLP, though a small increase in density was observed with HBche-L2, perhaps due to the incorporation of L2 into the virus particle (
L2 RIC was purified from plant tissue by protein G affinity chromatography. By SDS-PAGE, an appropriately sized band was visible >150 kDa that was highly pure (
d. Mouse Immunization with HBche-L2 and L2 RIC
Groups of Balb/c mice (n=8) were immunized, using alum as adjuvant, with three doses each of 5 μg L2 delivered as either L2 alone, HBche-L2 VLP, L2 RIC, or a combination of half VLP and half RIC. VLP and RIC, alone or combined, greatly enhanced antibody titers compared to L2 alone by more than an order of magnitude at all time points tested (
In vitro neutralization of HPV16 pseudovirions showed that the VLP and RIC groups greatly enhanced neutralization compared to L2 alone (
In this study, by displaying amino acids 11-128 on the surface of plant-produced HBc VLPs, L2 antibody titers as high as those seen with L1 vaccines were generated (
Mice immunized with L2 alone had highly variable antibody titers, with titers spanning two orders of magnitude. By contrast, the VLP and VLP/RIC groups had much more homogenous antibody responses, with no animals below an endpoint titer of 1:1,000,000 (
Fc gamma receptors are present on immune cells and strongly impact antibody effector functions such as antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity and complement-dependent cytotoxicity (Jefferis 2009). In mice, these interactions are controlled in part by IgG subtypes. IgG1 is associated with a Th2 response and has limited effector functions. By contrast, IgG2a is associated with a Th1 response and more strongly binds complement components (Neuberger and Raj ewsky 1981) and Fc receptors (Radaev 2002), enhancing effector functions and opsonophagocytosis by macrophages (Takai et al. 1994). Immunization with L2 alone was found to produce low levels of IgG2a, however immunization with RIC and VLP produced significant increases in IgG2a titers. VLP-containing groups in particular showed a 3-fold increase in the ratio of IgG2a to IgG1 antibodies (
The glycosylation state of the Fc receptor also plays an important role in antibody function. Advances in glycoengineering have led to the development of transgenic plants with silenced fucosyl- and xylosyl-transferase genes capable of producing recombinant proteins with authentic human N-glycosylation (Strasser et al. 2008). Antibodies produced in this manner have more homogenous glycoforms, resulting in improved interaction with Fc gamma and complement receptors compared to the otherwise identical antibodies produced in mammalian cell culture systems (Zeitlin et al. 2011; Hiatt et al. 2014; Strasser et al. 2014; Marusic et al. 2017). As the known mechanisms by which RIC vaccines increase immunogenicity of an antigen depend in part on Fc and complement receptor binding, HPV L2 RIC were produced in transgenic plants with silenced fucosyl- and xylosyl-transferase. Consistent with these data, we found that L2 RIC strongly enhanced the immunogenicity of L2 (
e. Neutralization of HPV Pseudovirions
Neutralization of papilloma pseudoviruses (HPV 16, 18, and 58) with sera from mice immunized IP with HBc-L2 VLP and L2(11-128) showed neutralization of HPV 16 at titers of 400-1600 and 200-800, respectively (Table 1). More mice IP-immunized with HBc-L2 VLP had antisera that cross-neutralized HPV 18 and HPV 58 pseudoviruses, compared with mice immunized with L2(11-128). Anti-HBc-L2 VLP sera neutralized HPV 18 at titers of 400 and HPV 58 at titers ranging from 400-800 (Table 1), while anti-L2(11-128) sera neutralized HPV 18 at a titer of 200 and HPV 58 at a titer of 400 (Table 1). None of the sera from intranasal-immunized mice demonstrated neutralizing activity, consistent with lower anti-L2 titers for intranasal than for intraperitoneal immunized mice.
Example 11
Step a: To a stirred suspension of 2,4-dichloro-6-methyl-3-nitropyridine (2.5 g, 12 mmol) in 24 mL of THE was added a solution of 7N NH3 in MeOH (14 mL, 98 mmol). After stirring for 3 h, the volatiles were removed in vacuo. The crude residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography to give 2-chloro-6-methyl-3-nitropyridin-4-amine. C6H7CN3O2 [M+H]+ 188.0, found 188.0.
Step b: To a stirred mixture of 2-chloro-6-methyl-3-nitropyridin-4-amine (760 mg, 4.1 mmol) and Fe (1.1 g, 20 mmol) in a 5:1 solution of EtOH/H2O (24 mL) was added 4.4 mL of conc. HCl. The contents were refluxed for 30 min, then cooled to room temperature and quenched with 100 mL of sat. NaHCO3 (aq). The mixture was extracted with EtOAc and the combined organic layers were dried over MgSO4, filtered, and concentrated in vacuo to yield 2-chloro-6-methylpyridine-3,4-diamine. MS: (ES) m/z calculated for C6H9ClN3 [M+H]+ 158.0, found 158.0.
Step c: To a stirred solution of 2-chloro-6-methylpyridine-3,4-diamine (0.49 g, 3.1 mmol) in 3 mL of EtOH was added a 40% w/w aqueous solution of glyoxal (2.0 mL, 12 mmol). After refluxing for 16 h, the mixture was diluted with H2O and extracted with EtOAc. The organic layers were combined, dried over MgSO4, filtered and concentrated in vacuo. The crude residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography to give 5-chloro-7-methylpyrido[3,4-b]pyrazine. MS: (ES) m/z calculated for C8H7ClN3 [M+H]+ 180.0, found 180.1.
Step d: To a stirred solution of 5-chloro-7-methylpyrido[3,4-b]pyrazine (200 mg, 1.0 mmol) and 2′-chloro-2-methyl-3′-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl)-[1,1′-biphenyl]-3-amine (350 mg, 1.0 mmol) in 2 mL of MeCN was added AcOH (0.18 mL, 3.1 mmol). After 30 min, the volatiles were concentrated in vacuo. The crude residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography to give N-(2′-chloro-2-methyl-3′-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl)-[1,1′-biphenyl]-3-yl)-7-methylpyrido[3,4-b]pyrazin-5-amine. MS: (ES) m/z calculated for C27H29BClN4O2 [M+H]+ 487.2, found 487.2.
Step e: To a stirred solution of N-(2′-chloro-2-methyl-3′-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl)-[1,1′-biphenyl]-3-yl)-7-methylpyrido[3,4-b]pyrazin-5-amine (390 mg, 0.66 mmol), 6-chloro-2-methoxynicotinaldehyde (240 mg, 1.4 mmol), and K3PO4 (490 mg, 2.3 mmol) in a 1:1 solution of 1,4-dioxane/H2O (3.3 mL) under N2 (g) was added Pd(PPh3)4 (76 mg, 0.066 mmol). The mixture was stirred under N2 (g) at 90° C. for 3 h. The mixture was diluted with H2O and then extracted with EtOAc. The combined organic layers were dried over MgSO4, filtered, and concentrated. The crude residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography to give 6-(2-chloro-2′-methyl-3′-((7-methylpyrido[3,4-b]pyrazin-5-yl)amino)-[1,1′-biphenyl]-3-yl)-2-methoxynicotinaldehyde. MS: (ES) m/z calculated for C28H23ClN5O2 [M+H]+ 496.2, found 496.2.
Step f: To a stirred mixture of 6-(2-chloro-2′-methyl-3′-((7-methylpyrido[3,4-b]pyrazin-5-yl)amino)-[1,1′-biphenyl]-3-yl)-2-methoxynicotinaldehyde (120 mg, 0.25 mmol), (S)-5-(aminomethyl)pyrrolidin-2-one hydrochloride (150 mg, 0.99 mmol), and trimethylamine (0.14 mL, 0.99 mmol) in a 4:1 solution of DCM/MeOH (5 mL) was added NaBH(OAc)3 (530 mg, 2.5 mmol). After stirring for 30 min, the mixture was filtered through Celite, and the filtrate was concentrated in vacuo. The product was purified by preparative HPLC to give the product (S)-5-((((6-(2-chloro-2′-methyl-3′-((7-methylpyrido[3,4-b]pyrazin-5-yl)amino)-[1,1′-biphenyl]-3-yl)-2-hydroxypyridin-3-yl)methyl)amino)methyl)pyrrolidin-2-one. 1H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ 12.59 (s, 1H), 9.32 (s, 1H), 9.07 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.86 (d, J=2.0 Hz, 1H), 8.23 (d, J=8.7 Hz, 1H), 7.76 (d, J=7.0 Hz, 1H), 7.62 (s, 1H), 7.55 (d, J=7.5 Hz, 1H), 7.50-7.43 (m, 1H), 7.35 (dd, J=7.9, 7.9 Hz, 1H), 7.12 (s, 1H), 6.96 (d, J=7.5 Hz, 1H), 6.55 (s, 2H), 6.43 (d, J=7.1 Hz, 1H), 4.07 (s, 3H), 3.95-3.84 (m, 1H), 2.48 (s, 4H), 2.26-2.15 (m, 3H), 2.11 (s, 3H), 1.86-1.70 (m, 1H). MS: (ES) m/z calculated for C32H31ClN7O2 [M+H]+ 580.2, found 580.1.
Example 2
A. Seed Treatment with Isolated Microbe
In this example, an isolated microbe from Tables 1-3 will be applied as a seed coating to seeds of corn (Zea mays). Upon applying the isolated microbe as a seed coating, the corn will be planted and cultivated in the standard manner.
A control plot of corn seeds, which did not have the isolated microbe applied as a seed coating, will also be planted.
It is expected that the corn plants grown from the seeds treated with the seed coating will exhibit a quantifiably higher biomass than the control corn plants.
The biomass from the treated plants may be about 1-10% higher, 10-20% higher, 20-30% higher, 30-40% higher, 40-50% higher, 50-60% higher, 60-70% higher, 70-80% higher, 80-90% higher, or more.
The biomass from the treated plants may equate to about a 1 bushel per acre increase over the controls, or a 2 bushel per acre increase, or a 3 bushel per acre increase, or a 4 bushel per acre increase, or a 5 bushel per acre increase, or more.
In some aspects, the biomass increase is statistically significant. In other aspects, the biomass increase is not statistically significant, but is still quantifiable.
B. Seed Treatment with Microbial Consortia
In this example, a microbial consortium, comprising at least two microbes from Tables 1-3 will be applied as a seed coating to seeds of corn (Zea mays). Upon applying the microbial consortium as a seed coating, the corn will be planted and cultivated in the standard manner.
A control plot of corn seeds, which did not have the microbial consortium applied as a seed coating, will also be planted.
It is expected that the corn plants grown from the seeds treated with the seed coating will exhibit a quantifiably higher biomass than the control corn plants.
The biomass from the treated plants may be about 1-10% higher, 10-20% higher, 20-30% higher, 30-40% higher, 40-50% higher, 50-60% higher, 60-70% higher, 70-80% higher, 80-90% higher, or more.
The biomass from the treated plants may equate to about a 1 bushel per acre increase over the controls, or a 2 bushel per acre increase, or a 3 bushel per acre increase, or a 4 bushel per acre increase, or a 5 bushel per acre increase, or more.
In some aspects, the biomass increase is statistically significant. In other aspects, the biomass increase is not statistically significant, but is still quantifiable.
C. Treatment with Agricultural Composition Comprising Isolated Microbe
In this example, an isolated microbe from Tables 1-3 will be applied as an agricultural composition, administered to the corn seed at the time of sowing.
For example, it is anticipated that a farmer will apply the agricultural composition to the corn seeds simultaneously upon planting the seeds into the field. This can be accomplished, for example, by applying the agricultural composition to a hopper/bulk tank on a standard 16 row planter, which contains the corn seeds and which is configured to plant the same into rows. Alternatively, the agricultural composition can be contained in a separate bulk tank on the planter and sprayed into the rows upon planting the corn seed.
A control plot of corn seeds, which are not administered the agricultural composition, will also be planted.
It is expected that the corn plants grown from the seeds treated with the agricultural composition will exhibit a quantifiably higher biomass than the control corn plants.
The biomass from the treated plants may be about 1-10% higher, 10-20% higher, 20-30% higher, 30-40% higher, 40-50% higher, 50-60% higher, 60-70% higher, 70-80% higher, 80-90% higher, or more.
The biomass from the treated plants may equate to about a 1 bushel per acre increase over the controls, or a 2 bushel per acre increase, or a 3 bushel per acre increase, or a 4 bushel per acre increase, or a 5 bushel per acre increase, or more.
In some aspects, the biomass increase is statistically significant. In other aspects, the biomass increase is not statistically significant, but is still quantifiable.
D. Treatment with Agricultural Composition Comprising Microbial Consortia
In this example, a microbial consortium, comprising at least two microbes from Tables 1-3 will be applied as an agricultural composition, administered to the corn seed at the time of sowing.
For example, it is anticipated that a farmer will apply the agricultural composition to the corn seeds simultaneously upon planting the seeds into the field. This can be accomplished, for example, by applying the agricultural composition to a hopper/bulk tank on a standard 16 row planter, which contains the corn seeds and which is configured to plant the same into rows. Alternatively, the agricultural composition can be contained in a separate bulk tank on the planter and sprayed into the rows upon planting the corn seed.
A control plot of corn seeds, which are not administered the agricultural composition, will also be planted.
It is expected that the corn plants grown from the seeds treated with the agricultural composition will exhibit a quantifiably higher biomass than the control corn plants.
The biomass from the treated plants may be about 1-10% higher, 10-20% higher, 20-30% higher, 30-40% higher, 40-50% higher, 50-60% higher, 60-70% higher, 70-80% higher, 80-90% higher, or more.
The biomass from the treated plants may equate to about a 1 bushel per acre increase over the controls, or a 2 bushel per acre increase, or a 3 bushel per acre increase, or a 4 bushel per acre increase, or a 5 bushel per acre increase, or more.
In some aspects, the biomass increase is statistically significant. In other aspects, the biomass increase is not statistically significant, but is still quantifiable.
A. Seed Treatment with Isolated Microbe
In this example, an isolated microbe from Tables 1-3 will be applied as a seed coating to seeds of corn (Zea mays). Upon applying the isolated microbe as a seed coating, the corn will be planted and cultivated in the standard manner.
A control plot of corn seeds, which did not have the isolated microbe applied as a seed coating, will also be planted.
It is expected that the corn plants grown from the seeds treated with the seed coating will exhibit a quantifiable and superior ability to tolerate drought conditions and/or exhibit superior water use efficiency, as compared to the control corn plants.
The drought tolerance and/or water use efficiency can be based on any number of standard tests from the art, e.g leaf water retention, turgor loss point, rate of photosynthesis, leaf color and other phenotypic indications of drought stress, yield performance, and various root morphological and growth patterns.
B. Seed Treatment with Microbial Consortia
In this example, a microbial consortium, comprising at least two microbes from Tables 1-3 will be applied as a seed coating to seeds of corn (Zea mays). Upon applying the microbial consortium as a seed coating, the corn will be planted and cultivated in the standard manner.
A control plot of corn seeds, which did not have the microbial consortium applied as a seed coating, will also be planted.
It is expected that the corn plants grown from the seeds treated with the seed coating will exhibit a quantifiable and superior ability to tolerate drought conditions and/or exhibit superior water use efficiency, as compared to the control corn plants.
The drought tolerance and/or water use efficiency can be based on any number of standard tests from the art, e.g leaf water retention, turgor loss point, rate of photosynthesis, leaf color and other phenotypic indications of drought stress, yield performance, and various root morphological and growth patterns.
C. Treatment with Agricultural Composition Comprising Isolated Microbe
In this example, an isolated microbe from Tables 1-3 will be applied as an agricultural composition, administered to the corn seed at the time of sowing.
For example, it is anticipated that a farmer will apply the agricultural composition to the corn seeds simultaneously upon planting the seeds into the field. This can be accomplished, for example, by applying the agricultural composition to a hopper/bulk tank on a standard 16 row planter, which contains the corn seeds and which is configured to plant the same into rows. Alternatively, the agricultural composition can be contained in a separate bulk tank on the planter and sprayed into the rows upon planting the corn seed.
A control plot of corn seeds, which are not administered the agricultural composition, will also be planted.
It is expected that the corn plants grown from the seeds treated with the with the agricultural composition will exhibit a quantifiable and superior ability to tolerate drought conditions and/or exhibit superior water use efficiency, as compared to the control corn plants.
The drought tolerance and/or water use efficiency can be based on any number of standard tests from the art, e.g leaf water retention, turgor loss point, rate of photosynthesis, leaf color and other phenotypic indications of drought stress, yield performance, and various root morphological and growth patterns.
D. Treatment with Agricultural Composition Comprising Microbial Consortia
In this example, a microbial consortium, comprising at least two microbes from Tables 1-3 will be applied as an agricultural composition, administered to the corn seed at the time of sowing.
For example, it is anticipated that a farmer will apply the agricultural composition to the corn seeds simultaneously upon planting the seeds into the field. This can be accomplished, for example, by applying the agricultural composition to a hopper/bulk tank on a standard 16 row planter, which contains the corn seeds and which is configured to plant the same into rows. Alternatively, the agricultural composition can be contained in a separate bulk tank on the planter and sprayed into the rows upon planting the corn seed.
A control plot of corn seeds, which are not administered the agricultural composition, will also be planted.
It is expected that the corn plants grown from the seeds treated with the with the agricultural composition will exhibit a quantifiable and superior ability to tolerate drought conditions and/or exhibit superior water use efficiency, as compared to the control corn plants.
The drought tolerance and/or water use efficiency can be based on any number of standard tests from the art, e.g leaf water retention, turgor loss point, rate of photosynthesis, leaf color and other phenotypic indications of drought stress, yield performance, and various root morphological and growth patterns.
A. Seed Treatment with Isolated Microbe
In this example, an isolated microbe from Tables 1-3 will be applied as a seed coating to seeds of corn (Zea mays). Upon applying the isolated microbe as a seed coating, the corn will be planted and cultivated in the standard manner.
A control plot of corn seeds, which did not have the isolated microbe applied as a seed coating, will also be planted.
It is expected that the corn plants grown from the seeds treated with the seed coating will exhibit a quantifiable and superior ability to utilize nitrogen, as compared to the control corn plants.
The nitrogen use efficiency can be quantified by recording a measurable change in any of the main nitrogen metabolic pool sizes in the assimilation pathways (e.g., a measurable change in one or more of the following: nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, glutamine, asparagine, lysine, leucine, threonine, methionine, glycine, tryptophan, tyrosine, total protein content of a plant part, total nitrogen content of a plant part, and/or chlorophyll content), or where the treated plant is shown to provide the same or elevated biomass or harvestable yield at lower nitrogen fertilization levels compared to the control plant, or where the treated plant is shown to provide elevated biomass or harvestable yields at the same nitrogen fertilization levels compared to a control plant.
B. Seed Treatment with Microbial Consortia
In this example, a microbial consortium, comprising at least two microbes from Tables 1-3 will be applied as a seed coating to seeds of corn (Zea mays). Upon applying the microbial consortium as a seed coating, the corn will be planted and cultivated in the standard manner.
A control plot of corn seeds, which did not have the microbial consortium applied as a seed coating, will also be planted.
It is expected that the corn plants grown from the seeds treated with the seed coating will exhibit a quantifiable and superior ability to utilize nitrogen, as compared to the control corn plants.
The nitrogen use efficiency can be quantified by recording a measurable change in any of the main nitrogen metabolic pool sizes in the assimilation pathways (e.g., a measurable change in one or more of the following: nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, glutamine, asparagine, lysine, leucine, threonine, methionine, glycine, tryptophan, tyrosine, total protein content of a plant part, total nitrogen content of a plant part, and/or chlorophyll content), or where the treated plant is shown to provide the same or elevated biomass or harvestable yield at lower nitrogen fertilization levels compared to the control plant, or where the treated plant is shown to provide elevated biomass or harvestable yields at the same nitrogen fertilization levels compared to a control plant.
C. Treatment with Agricultural Composition Comprising Isolated Microbe
In this example, an isolated microbe from Tables 1-3 will be applied as an agricultural composition, administered to the corn seed at the time of sowing.
For example, it is anticipated that a farmer will apply the agricultural composition to the corn seeds simultaneously upon planting the seeds into the field. This can be accomplished, for example, by applying the agricultural composition to a hopper/bulk tank on a standard 16 row planter, which contains the corn seeds and which is configured to plant the same into rows. Alternatively, the agricultural composition can be contained in a separate bulk tank on the planter and sprayed into the rows upon planting the corn seed.
A control plot of corn seeds, which are not administered the agricultural composition, will also be planted.
It is expected that the corn plants grown from the seeds treated with the agricultural composition will exhibit a quantifiable and superior ability to utilize nitrogen, as compared to the control corn plants.
The nitrogen use efficiency can be quantified by recording a measurable change in any of the main nitrogen metabolic pool sizes in the assimilation pathways (e.g., a measurable change in one or more of the following: nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, glutamine, asparagine, lysine, leucine, threonine, methionine, glycine, tryptophan, tyrosine, total protein content of a plant part, total nitrogen content of a plant part, and/or chlorophyll content), or where the treated plant is shown to provide the same or elevated biomass or harvestable yield at lower nitrogen fertilization levels compared to the control plant, or where the treated plant is shown to provide elevated biomass or harvestable yields at the same nitrogen fertilization levels compared to a control plant.
D. Treatment with Agricultural Composition Comprising Microbial Consortia
In this example, a microbial consortium, comprising at least two microbes from Tables 1-3 will be applied as an agricultural composition, administered to the corn seed at the time of sowing.
For example, it is anticipated that a farmer will apply the agricultural composition to the corn seeds simultaneously upon planting the seeds into the field. This can be accomplished, for example, by applying the agricultural composition to a hopper/bulk tank on a standard 16 row planter, which contains the corn seeds and which is configured to plant the same into rows. Alternatively, the agricultural composition can be contained in a separate bulk tank on the planter and sprayed into the rows upon planting the corn seed.
A control plot of corn seeds, which are not administered the agricultural composition, will also be planted.
It is expected that the corn plants grown from the seeds treated with the agricultural composition will exhibit a quantifiable and superior ability to utilize nitrogen, as compared to the control corn plants.
The nitrogen use efficiency can be quantified by recording a measurable change in any of the main nitrogen metabolic pool sizes in the assimilation pathways (e.g., a measurable change in one or more of the following: nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, glutamine, asparagine, lysine, leucine, threonine, methionine, glycine, tryptophan, tyrosine, total protein content of a plant part, total nitrogen content of a plant part, and/or chlorophyll content), or where the treated plant is shown to provide the same or elevated biomass or harvestable yield at lower nitrogen fertilization levels compared to the control plant, or where the treated plant is shown to provide elevated biomass or harvestable yields at the same nitrogen fertilization levels compared to a control plant.
The inoculants were prepared from isolates grown as spread plates on R2A incubated at 25° C. for 48 to 72 hours. Colonies were harvested by blending with sterile distilled water (SDW) which was then transferred into sterile containers. Serial dilutions of the harvested cells were plated and incubated at 25° C. for 24 hours to estimate the number of colony forming units (CFU) in each suspension. Dilutions were prepared using individual isolates or blends of isolates (consortia) to deliver 1×105 cfu/microbe/seed and seeds inoculated by either imbibition in the liquid suspension or by overtreatment with 5% vegetable gum and oil.
Seeds corresponding to the plants of table 15 were planted within 24 to 48 hours of treatment in agricultural soil, potting media or inert growing media. Plants were grown in small pots (28 mL to 200 mL) in either a controlled environment or in a greenhouse. Chamber photoperiod was set to 16 hours for all experiments on all species. Air temperature was typically maintained between 22-24° C.
Unless otherwise stated, all plants were watered with tap water 2 to 3 times weekly. Growth conditions were varied according to the trait of interest and included manipulation of applied fertilizer, watering regime and salt stress as follows:
Untreated (no applied microbe) controls were prepared for each experiment. Plants were randomized on trays throughout the growth environment. Between 10 and 30 replicate plants were prepared for each treatment in each experiment. Phenotypes were measured during early vegetative growth, typically before the V3 developmental stage and between 3 and 6 weeks after sowing. Foliage was cut and weighed. Roots were washed, blotted dry and weighed. Results indicate performance of treatments against the untreated control.
The data presented in table 15 describes the efficacy with which a microbial species or strain can change a phenotype of interest relative to a control run in the same experiment. Phenotypes measured were shoot fresh weight and root fresh weight for plants growing either in the absence of presence of a stress (assay). For each microbe species, an overall efficacy score indicates the percentage of times a strain of that species increased a both shoot and root fresh weight in independent evaluations. For each species, the specifics of each independent assay is given, providing a strain ID (strain) and the crop species the assay was performed on (crop). For each independent assay the percentage increase in shoot and root fresh weight over the controls is given.