American Cyanamid Company

Enichem S.p.a

Newell F Bascomb

Michael D Swerdloff

Jon I Williams

Nicholas P Everett

Lynne Miyo Hirayama

Stephen Sturner

Sandra D Carson

The present invention provides purified isolated nucleic acids encoding arabidopsis 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD), plasmids encoding HPPD, and transformed cells capable of expressing HPPD. The invention also provides methods for identifying HPPD inhibitors.

Hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase gene from arabidopsis and method of

This invention pertains to novel protocols for the screening and rapid identification of compounds that specifically inhibit a predetermined enzyme or metabolic target site or pathway that is specific to plants. Enzymes which are specifically or indirected affected by the novel screens include glutamine synthetase (GS), 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate synthase (DAHP), dihydrodipicolinate synthase (DHPS), acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS) and phosphoribosyl anthranilate transferase (PAT). The enzymatic pathways targeted by the novel screening protocols are unique to plants, bacteria and fungi and are present at low levels. Thus, inhibiting these enzymes should present little or no toxicity to humans or animals. The screens provide an efficient and rapid method for assessing the herbicidal potential of test compounds. Lead compounds identified by the novel screening protocols can be used as herbicides to inhibit growth.

Biological screens for detection of herbicides

The present invention relates to a number of peptides which have antimicrobial activity and which are useful in retarding plant pathogens. In addition, compounds in accordance with the present invention may have improved resistance to degradation by plant proteases, and/or sufficiently low phytotoxicity to render them likely candidates for use in conjunction with plants. The present invention also relates to oligonucleotides which are capable of expressing the aforementioned peptides. Also provided hereby is a process of retarding the growth of plant pathogens using the compounds of the present invention as well as a screening method and screening reagent useful in determining the proteolytic degradation resistance of a known compound.

Antimicrobial peptides active against plant pathogens

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Lawrenceville, NJ, United States of America

Newell F Bascomb