Putative Cytokinin Receptor and Methods for Use Thereof

Abstract

A method of modulating the expression of at least one trait in a plant, the method comprising the step of modulating the expression of at least one polypeptide by the plant, wherein the polypeptide is selected from the group consisting of: i) a polypeptide which comprises the amino acid sequence according to SEQ ID NO:1; ii) a polypeptide which comprises an amino acid sequence which is selected from the group consisting of any one or more of from amino acid 1 to amino acid 7, from amino acid 9 to amino acid 230, from amino acid 1 to amino acid 58, from amino acid 77 to amino acid 485, from amino acid 59 to amino acid 76, from amino acid 150 to amino acid 191, from amino acid 231 to amino acid 405, and from amino acid 406 to amino acid 438 of SEQ ID NO: 1, or at equivalent positions in a homologue thereof, and which is capable of modulating cytokinin signaling in the plant; iii) a polypeptide which comprises an amino acid sequence with at least 70% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence according to SEQ ID NO:1 and which is capable of modulating cytokinin signaling in the plant; and iv) a polypeptide which consists of an amino acid sequence according to SEQ ID NO:1, wherein the modulation of the expression of the polypeptide modulates the expression of at least one trait in the plant.