National Research Council of Canada

Ravindra N Chibbar

Monica Baga

Kutty K Kartha

Pierre Hucl

Ramesh B Nair

Narender S Nehra

Anne Repellin

Ming Gao

Mingsheng Peng

Graham J Scoles

The invention provides a novel starch branching enzyme that is bound to A-type starch granules in wheat, barley, rye or triticale. The enzyme is not substantially associated with B-type starch granules. A cDNA sequence encoding an isoform of the enzyme has been isolated from the wheat cultivar Fielder and deduced amino acid sequence has been determined.

Starch branching enzymes

A DNA fragment for directing the expression of foreign or endogenous genes or RNA in cells of monocot plants. The fragment comprises a sequence corresponding to a first part of a putative type I starch branching enzyme gene (wbeI) present in wheat and a 5'-region upstream of the gene, or a part of the sequence that is effective for increasing the expression of the foreign or endogenous gene in the plant cells. The indicated sequence contains two promoter regions, P1 and P2. A DNA fragment effective to increase expression comprises at least one of the promoter regions, or an effective part. The fragment can be obtained from a genomic library of wheat and can be fused to suitable genes and markers and inserted into suitable vectors for expression in transgenic monocot plants.

Promoter for expressing foreign genes in monocotyledonous plants

Whole scutella are isolated from immature zygotic embryos of cereal plants and cultured, in the absence of the zygotic embryo axis, to produce somatic embryos, which in turn are converted into plantlets. The scutellar cells optionally are transformed with foreign DNA so that at least some of the resulting plantlets are transgenic. The regeneration is much more efficient and rapid than with conventional methods.

Enhanced regeneration system

Growing community of inventors

Saskatoon, Canada

Ravindra N Chibbar