Syngenta Participations Ag

Novartis Finance Corporation

Agbiome, Inc.

Eric Russell Ward

Scott Joseph Uknes

John A Ryals

Daniel John Tomso

Rebecca E Thayer

Jessica Parks

Janice C Jones

Vadim Beilinson

Peter Bernard Heifetz

Edouard Guillaume Lebel

Sandy Volrath

Sandra L Volrath

Sharon L Potter

Marie A Johnson

Terrence Patrick Delaney

Klaus Maleck

Kay A Lawton

Peter B Heifetz

Henry-York Steiner

Venkiteswaran Subramanian

Kristianna Baldwin Weymann

David Charles Guyer

Eric Walters

Compositions and methods for isolating new variants of known gene sequences are provided. The methods find use in identifying variants, particularly homologs, in complex mixtures. Compositions comprise hybridization baits that hybridize to gene families of interest, particularly agricultural interest, in order to selectively enrich the polynucleotides of interest from complex mixtures. Bait sequences may be specific for a number of genes from distinct gene families of interest and may be designed to cover each gene of interest by at least 2-fold. Thus methods disclosed herein are drawn to an oligonucleotide hybridization gene capture approach for identification of new genes of interest from environmental samples. This approach bypasses the need for labor-intensive microbial strain isolation, permits simultaneous discovery of genes from multiple gene families of interest, and increases the potential to discover genes from low-abundance and unculturable organisms present in complex mixtures of environmental microbes.

High throughput discovery of new genes from complex mixtures of environmental microbes

The instant disclosure describes the application of genetic engineering techniques to produce cellulase in plants. Cellulase coding sequences operably linked to promoters active in plants may be transformed into the nuclear genome and/or the plastid genome of a plant. As cellulases may be toxic to plants, chemically-inducible or wound-inducible promoters may be employed. Additionally, the expressed cellulases may be targeted to vacuoles or other cellular organelles.

Transgenic plants expressing a cellulase

The present invention provides novel DNA sequences coding for protoporphyrinogen oxidase (protox) enzymes from soybean, wheat, cotton, sugar beet, oilseed rape, rice, sorghum, and sugar cane. In addition, the present invention teaches modified forms of protox enzymes that are herbicide tolerant. Plants expressing herbicide tolerant protox enzymes taught herein are also provided. These plants may be engineered for resistance to protox inhibitors via mutation of the native protox gene to a resistant form or they may be transformed with a gene encoding an herbicide tolerant form of a plant protox enzyme. The present invention further provides shuffled DNA molecules encoding protox enzymes having enhanced tolerance to a herbicide that inhibits the protox activity encoded by a template DNA molecule from which the shuffled DNA molecule is derived.

Herbicide-tolerant protox genes produced by DNA shuffling

The present invention relates to methods for controlling the growth of undesired vegetation comprising applying an effective amount of a protox-inhibiting herbicide to a population of transgenic plants or plant seed transformed with a DNA sequence coding for a modified protox enzyme that is tolerant to a protox-inhibiting herbicide or to the locus where a population of the transgenic plants or plant seeds is cultivated.

Herbicide-tolerant plants and methods of controlling the growth of undesired vegetation

The present invention discloses plant derived nucleic acid molecules and proteins. The protein disclosed in the present invention have 5&prime;-phosphoribosyl-5-aminoimidazole (AIR) synthetase activity. Furthermore, the present invention provides methods for producing transgenic plants, transgenic plant tissues, transgenic plant seeds, and transgenick plant cells using genes encoding enzymes having AIR synthetase activity.

Nucleic acid molecules encoding 5&prime;-phosphoribosyl-5-aminoimidazole (AIR) synthetase

Methods are provided for selecting parental plants exhibiting disease resistance and for using these plants in breeding programs. In one method of the invention, constitutive immunity (cim) mutants are screened for either resistance to a pathogen of interest or for the expression of systemic acquired resistance (SAR) genes. Such mutants having the desired traits or expressing the desired genes are then used in breeding programs. Parent plants can also be selected based on the constitutive expression of SAR genes. These mutants are phenotypically normal yet exhibit a significant level of disease resistance. Also disclosed are lesion-simulating-disease (lsd) mutants having a lesion mimic phenotype that also express SAR genes and exhibit disease resistance. Further disclosed are non-inducible immunity (nim) mutants that do not express SAR genes, even when induced by a pathogen. Methods of use for these mutants are also disclosed.

Mutant plants and uses therefor

Method for breeding disease resistance into plants

Method for selecting disease resistant mutant plants

Growing community of inventors

Durham, NC, United States of America

Eric Russell Ward