IDENTIFIZIERUNG UND KLONIERUNG DES REZEPTORGENS ZUR SYMBIOTISCHEN STICKSTOFFFIXIERUNG RESISTENZ

The invention relates to the Medicago sativa DNA sequence encoding the NORK polypeptide as well as to the protein determined by this DNA sequence. In another aspect, the invention relates to conserved DNA regions, primers, DNA probes, polypeptides and corresponding antibodies characteristic to the NORK gene family, as well as to methods and their utilization to isolate additional NORK genes and proteins from different legumes or other plants, and their use for producing transgenic plants. In another aspect, the invention relates to a method of cloning a DNA sequence encoding a function involved in one of the steps of symbiotic nitrogen fixation, as well as to methods of producing transgenic plant cells and cloned entire plants wherein the biosynthesis of the NORK polypeptide takes place. The invention also relates to the identification of a gene present in leguminous plants, encoding a function indispensable for symbiotic nitrogen fixation, to the sequencing of the gene, confirmation of the biological function of the gene, and the transformation of the gene into plants unable for symbiotic nitrogen fixation.