Korea Kumho Petrochemical Co., Ltd.

Chung-Mo Park

Jeong-Gu Kang

Pill-Soon Song

Ju Yun

Tohyama Kohichi

Hyo Yeon Lee

Chang-Hyu Bae

Kyung-Sook Chung

The present invention provides transgenic higher plants and transgenic plant cells thereof which have been transformed with a plant translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) gene to improve growth rate in a growth stage-dependent manner, especially in the earlier vegetative growth stage from seedlings to young plants. Also, the invention provides methods for engineering higher plants so that they can be more efficiently transformed with other transforming vector constructs. Further, provided are TCTP expression vectors which contain an uninterrupted coding region for the TCTP protein used to generate transgenic plants and cells thereof.

Transgenic plant transformed with a translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) gene

The present invention provides an efficient genetic transformation system for the zoysiagrass plant ( Steud.). Also provided are optimized media compositions and culture conditions for the zoysiagrass transformation. The reliable transformation system for zoysiagrass was developed by optimizing several factors that significantly affect calli growth and plant regeneration. Callus type and co-cultivation period absolutely influenced the transformation efficiency. Concentrations of 2,4-D, CaCl and acetosyringone were also critical factors. The best result was achieved when type 3 calli were co-cultivated on a 2,4-D-free co-cultivation medium for 6 days. Removal of calcium and addition of 50 mg/liter acetosyringone during co-cultivation drastically enhanced the efficiency. The invention also provides a bialaphos-resistant zoysiagrass plant, which can be used in golf courses and athletic fields to save the maintenance cost.

Genetic transformation method for zoysiagrass

The present invention provides a nucleic acid molecule encoding a dark-inducible cytochrome P450 hydroxylase that catalyzes the brassinosteroid biosynthesis through C-2 hydroxylations in plants. The invention also describes the methods and processes for generating expression cassettes and plasmids and for the use of these expression cassettes and plasmids to synthesize the cytochrome P450 hydroxylase or biologically active fragments of such an enzyme. The invention can be utilized to improve or decrease the stem growth of transgenic plants containing the nucleic acid molecule so that they exhibit improved growth rate and resistance to environmental stress and to identify other proteins involved in the brassinosteroid biosynthesis and in the plant growth regulation.

Nucleic acid molecule encoding a cytochrome P-450 hydroxylase in brassinosteroid biosynthesis in plants

This invention relates to a nucleic acid molecule encoding the catalytic subunit of a protein phosphatase (PP2AC-JD) that belongs to the PP2A family. The PP2AC-JD interacts with the phytochrome A, a primary photoreceptor in the light signal transduction in plants, in the photoperiodic control of flowering. The present invention also provides the methods and processes for generating transgenic higher plants transformed with said nucleic acid molecule to engineer flowing time of economically important crop plants.

Nucleic acid molecule encoding the catalytic subunit of a protein phosphatase 2A that regulates flowering time in plants

The present invention provides a nucleic acid molecule isolated from the 5&prime; untranscribed region of a translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) gene from Arabidopsis. The nucleic acid molecule, referred to as TCTP promoter in the present invention, directs the high-level expression of a reporter gene that is properly placed under its control. The TCTP promoter initiates and regulates the gene expression to a level that is comparable to those by the currently available promoters in plant genetic engineering. A minimum of 300-bp region is enough for fill regulatory activity. The TCTP promoter is functional in all plant tissues tested with the highest activity in the meristem tissue of root tip. The present invention can be utilized to express useful genes to a high level in agronomically important plants.

Promoter system of plant translationally controlled tumor protein gene

Fully differentiated higher plants may be regenerated from undifferentiated plant tissues, such as callus, derived from mature seeds, immature embryos, stems, roots, or leaves. The present invention provides a plant regeneration method from mature seed-derived calli. The regeneration procedure may include the induction of calli on the MS media containing 2 mg/L 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 0.2 mg/L 6-benzylaminopurine, 4 mg/L thiamine-HCl, and 100 mg/L &agr;-ketoglutaric acid. The plant regeneration efficiency is the highest when calli are grown on the MS media supplemented with 3% maltose and 1 mg/L 6-benzylaminopurine or 1 mg/L thidiazuron (TDZ). The invention can be utilized to introduce a gene or genes of agronomically important values into the zoysiagrass or possibly closely related turfgrass species.

Growing community of inventors

Kwangju, South Korea

Chung-Mo Park