Zeneca Limited

Syngenta Corporation

Ian Jepson

Andrew James Greenland

Wolfgang Walter Schuch

Ian George Bridges

Simon W Bright

Uwe Sonnewald

Alberto Martinez

David Charles Holt

Nan Qu

Chengcai Chu

Michael W Bevan

Ian Cummins

Robert Edwards

Hilary Sheppard

Didier Rene Philippe Thomas

Allan Daly

Mary Elizabeth Knight

Michael William Bayliss

Marcus Ebneth

Karen Jane Townson

Mark Skipsey

John Christopher Andrews

The present invention describes a method of increasing plan yield. Also described are DNA constructs comprising DNA sequences coding for proteins involved in sucrose transport, metabolism and uptake operably linked to controllable promoter regions and plants transformed with said constructs. More particularly a method for the controlled production of said proteins resulting in an alteration in plant growth characteristics, flowering time and in yield is described.

Genetic method

The invention relates to an insect steroid receptor protein which is capable of acting as a gene switch which is responsive to a chemical inducer enabling external control of the gene.

Method of expressing Heliothis ecdysone receptor fusion protein

The present invention relates to inter alia, Glutathione-S-Transferase (GST) and homoglutathione synthetase sequences from soybean and their use in the production of plants which are resitant to herbicides which comprise fomesafen and/or acifluorfen. In a particular embodiment the invention provides a GST depicted as SEQ ID No. 10 and a homoglutathione synthetase depicted as SEQ ID No. 1.

GST sequences from soybean and their use in the production of herbicide resistant plants

This invention relates to a method of controlling sprout formation in plants and parts thereof including vegetative storage organs. The method involves the use of target and organ specific promoters to control expression of DNA sequences to inhibit sprouting. Sprouting is restored by switching on expression of DNA sequences using inducible promoter regions where sprouting may be controlled by, for example, application of an external chemical stimulus.

Genetic method for controlling sprouting

Methods of preparing hybrid seed are described. One such method comprises interplanting a male parent plant which is male fertile and homozygous recessive female sterile and a female parent plant which is homozygous recessive male sterile and female fertile, allowing cross-pollination and obtaining the seed produced therefrom. The genomic material of each parent plant may also have integrated therein a gene construct comprising a promoter sequence-responsive to the presence or absence of an exogenous chemical inducer, optionally operably linked to one or more enhancer or intron sequences, operably linked to a gene which fully restores the fertility of each parent plant, the gene being expressed by the application to the plant of an external chemical inducer thereby allowing each parent to self-pollinate.

Hybrid seed production

Heliothis ecdysone receptor

Gene switch

The invention relates to DNA constructs which are capable of conferring on a plant inducible resistance to a herbicide. The inducible effect may be achieved by using a gene switch such as the alcA/alcR switch derived from . The invention relates in particular to inducible resistance to the herbicide N-phosphonomethyl glycine (glyphosate) and its salts.

Inducible herbicide resistance

A promoter comprising the DNA sequence of an oil seed rape cysteine protease gene promoter of class 1, 2 or 6 is described. The promoter may be used in an expression system for at least the tissue or tissues of a germinating seedling or developing grain or plant (e.g. in the root, cotyledons, leaves and stem). In a preferred embodiment, the expression system comprises a disrupter gene fused to a promoter according to the present invention.

Promoter

The chemically-inducible 27 kD subunit of the enzyme glutathione-S-transferase, isoform II (GST-II-27) and sequences encoding it are provided. In particular, a genomic DNA sequence encoding the gene promoter for the GST-II-27 subunit is provided. Then linked to an exogenous gene and introduced into a plant by transformation, and GST-II-27 promoter provides a means for the external regulation of expression of that exogenous gene. Transformation with DNA encoding glutathione-S-transferase polypeptides produces herbicide resistance transgenic plants.

Plant-derived enzyme and DNA sequences and uses thereof

A chemically inducible gene promoter sequence, and particularly, but not exclusively, a chemically inducible gene promoter sequence based on cis regulatory elements from the maize glutathione S-transferase 27 (GST-27) gene. In a preferred embodiment, the promoter sequence is operatively linked or fused to a gene or series of genes whereby expression of the gene or series of genes may be controlled by application of an effective exogenous inducer.

Growing community of inventors

Bracknell, United Kingdom

Ian Jepson