The University of Chicago

Chromatin, Inc.

Kevin Keith

Daphne Preuss

Gregory Paul Copenhaver

Helge Zieler

Jennifer M Mach

RongGuan Jin

James Jin

Mich B Hein

Song Luo

Gary W Rudgers

The present invention provides methods of doing business and providing services. For example, methods of increasing the revenue of crops are provided. To this end, the method includes the use of a nucleic acid sequences of plant centromeres. This will permit construction of stably inherited recombinant DNA constructs and mini chromosomes which can serve as vectors for the construction of transgenic plant and animal cells.

Methods for generating or increasing revenues from crops

The invention is generally related to methods of generating plants transformed with novel autonomous mini-chromosomes. Mini-chromosomes with novel compositions and structures are used to transform plants cells which are in turn used to generate the plant. Methods for generating the plant include methods for delivering the mini-chromosome into plant cell to transform the cell, methods for selecting the transformed cell, and methods for isolating plants transformed with the mini-chromosome. Plants generated in the present invention contain novel genes introduced into their genome by integration into existing chromosomes.

Plants modified with mini-chromosomes

The present invention provides for the nucleic acid sequences of plant centromeres. This will permit construction of stably inherited recombinant DNA constructs and minichromosomes which can serve as vectors for the construction of transgenic plant and animal cells.

Plant centromere compositions

The invention provides efficient methods for the isolation of centromeres from potentially any organism. Using the methods of the invention, methylated centromere DNA may be isolated from potentially any centromere in an organism. The technique is amenable to mass screenings employing use of arrays comprising libraries of DNA from a target species.

Use of methylated nucleic acid segments for isolating centromere DNA

The present invention provides for the identification and cloning of functional plant centromeres in. This will permit construction of stably inherited minichromosomes which can serve as vectors for the construction of transgenic plant and animal cells. In addition, information on the structure and function of these regions will prove valuable in isolating additional centromeric and centromere related genetic elements and polypeptides from other species.

Plant chromosome compositions and methods

The invention provides efficient methods for the isolation of centromeres from potentially any organism. The methods may comprise the steps of: a) preparing a first sample of genomic DNA from a selected species; b) obtaining a plurality of methylated nucleic acid segments from the genomic DNA; and c) screening the methylated nucleic acid segments to identify a centromere nucleic acid sequence.

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Chicago, IL, United States of America

Kevin Keith