Patents Examined by Russell Boggs
  • Patent number: 9139841
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of production of plants having improved resistance to low-temperature stress, comprising a stage of conversion of the cells of a plant with a sequence of exogenous arginine decarboxylase gene ADC1 under control of a promoter capable of functioning in the plant. Plants thus obtained show resistance to low-temperature stress without the phenotype being affected when compared with the phenotype of plants of the wild type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignees: UNIVERSIDAD DE BARCELONA, UNIVERSITAT DE VALENCIA
    Inventors: Antonio Fernández Tiburcio, Teresa Altabella Artigas, Alejandro Ferrando Monleón
  • Patent number: 9133470
    Abstract: The present invention relates to materials and methods for modulating growth rates, yield, and/or resistance to drought conditions in plants. In one embodiment, a method of the invention comprises increasing expression of an hc1 gene (or a homolog thereof that provides for substantially the same activity), or increasing expression or activity of the protein encoded by an hc1 gene thereof, in a plant, wherein expression of the hc1 gene or expression or activity of the protein encoded by an hc1 gene results in increased growth rate, yield, and/or drought resistance in the plant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: University of Florida Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventor: Matias Kirst
  • Patent number: 9127076
    Abstract: This invention relates in part to modifying BtBooster (BtB) peptides, in part to increase their stability in insect midgut digestive juices. Some preferred embodiments of BtB have removed proteinase cleavage sites resulting in increased stability of the modified BtB in the insect gut, while retaining the ability to enhance B.t. proteins for improved insect control. In some preferred embodiments, the protease-stable BtB is used in combination with B.t. spores and/or crystals comprising a Cry protein. Also reported herein is the significant and increased enhancement of Bt toxins against relatively Bt-tolerant insects (Helicoverpa zea, Spodoptera exigua and Agrotis ipsilon), when used with BtBs. We also describe increased toxin enhancement with cadherin fragments that are stabilized against over-digestion by insect midgut proteinases. We also report enhancement of Bt Cry1F toxin by cadherin fragments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: The University of Georgia Research Foundation
    Inventors: Mohd Amir-Fursan Abdullah, Michael J. Adang
  • Patent number: 9101100
    Abstract: High throughput methods are described for identifying combinations of transgenes that can be used to improve a phenotypic feature in an organism. Large populations of organisms (e.g., plants) containing different combinations of transgenes as well as different promoter-coding sequence combinations can be assessed using the methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: Ceres, Inc.
    Inventors: Roger I. Pennell, Richard Hamilton, Michael F. Portereiko
  • Patent number: 9085768
    Abstract: In this study, we used a wound-inducible promoter of the broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) GLUCOSE INHIBITION of ROOT ELONGATION1 (GIR1) gene fused to ?-glucuronidase (GUS, pBoGIR1::GUS) as a selectable marker. Transgenic broccoli plants expressing pBoGIR1::GUS appear blue in planta at wounded regions after GUS staining for 30 min. Similarly, the blue color is visible in transgenic Arabidopsis and rice plants expressing pBoGIR1::GUS at wounded areas after GUS staining for 2 h, indicating that this promoter is wound-inducible in both dicots and monocots. GUS staining is very rapid and the partial wounding in this study is a nondestructive method that does not affect further plant growth and development. Thus, pBoGIR1::GUS could serve as an effective substitute for antibiotic- and herbicide-resistance genes in the generation of genetically modified crops.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignee: Academia Sinica
    Inventors: Wan-Hsing Cheng, Ming-Hau Chiang, Ya-Huei Chen, Hwei-Ling Shen
  • Patent number: 9057072
    Abstract: This invention provides promoter sequences that are useful for modulating transcription of a desired polynucleotide and/or in the construction of recombinant genes for plant transformation to enable expression of foreign or endogenous coding sequences in plants. The promoters are functional in a both monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plant species and are active in a wide range of vegetative or generative plant organs. The invention also provides a polynucleotide construct comprising a promoter of the invention operably linked to a foreign or endogenous polynucleotide encoding a protein of interest or a transcript capable of modulating expression of a target gene. The invention is further concerned with transformed plant cells, as well as differentiated plants, plant parts, plant tissues or plant seeds containing the construct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignees: KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN, K.U. LEUVEN R&D, INVERENSIONES EUROPAS NICARAGUENSES SA
    Inventors: Rony Swennen, Laszlo Sagi, Serge Remy, Liesbet Smeijers, Ilse Constant Marie Wiame
  • Patent number: 9045786
    Abstract: This invention is intended to search for a transcription regulator having a novel function of improving the amount of substances produced per individual plant and to enhance such properties in a plant. A chimeric protein resulting from the fusion of a transcription factor belonging a transcription factor family that includes a transcription factor comprising the amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO: 4 with the repressor domain is expressed in a plant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Chikara Ohto, Hiroshi Chatani, Satoshi Kondo, Norihiro Mitsukawa, Nobuhiko Muramoto, Masaru Takagi, Kyoko Matsui
  • Patent number: 9035132
    Abstract: The invention relates to polynucleotides encoding a modified HaHB4 transcription factor and polynucleotides encoding functionally active fragments and variants of a modified HaHB4 transcription factor as well as vectors and host cells containing these polynucleotides and the polypeptides encoded by these polynucleotides. The invention also encompasses transgenic host cells, plants, seed, pollen, and plant parts containing the polypeptides and/or polynucleotides of the invention. The invention further encompasses methods of producing transgenic host cells, plants, seed, pollen, and plant parts and the processed plant products produced from these transgenic hosts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Inventors: Lia Raquel Chan, Daniel Hector Gonzalez
  • Patent number: 9029523
    Abstract: The present invention provides DNA molecules that constitute fragments of the genome of a plant, and polypeptides encoded thereby. The DNA molecules are useful for specifying a gene product in cells, either as a promoter or as a protein coding sequence or as an UTR or as a 3? termination sequence, and are also useful in controlling the behavior of a gene in the chromosome, in controlling the expression of a gene or as tools for genetic mapping, recognizing or isolating identical or related DNA fragments, or identification of a particular individual organism, or for clustering of a group of organisms with a common trait. One of ordinary skill in the art, having this data, can obtain cloned DNA fragments, synthetic DNA fragments or polypeptides constituting desired sequences by recombinant methodology known in the art or described herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Ceres, Inc.
    Inventors: Nickolai Alexandrov, Nestor Apuya, Vyacheslav Brover, Jean-Baptiste Dumas, Yiwen Fang, Ken Feldmann, Diane Jofuku, Edward A. Kiegle, Bill Kimmerly, Shing Kwok, Peter Mascia, Jack Okamuro, Roger Pennell, Richard Schneeberger, Tatiana Tatarinova, Wayne Volkmuth
  • Patent number: 9029636
    Abstract: This disclosure provides purified nucleic acids and polypeptides. Also provided are transgenic plants, seeds, and plant cells containing DNA for expression of the proteins that are useful for imparting enhanced agronomic trait(s) to transgenic crop plants, methods of making such plants and methods of making agricultural commodity including seeds and hybrid seeds from such plants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Monsanto Technology LLC
    Inventors: Wei Wu, Jack Tabaska, David Kovalic, Bo-Xing Qiu, Liang Guo
  • Patent number: 9024151
    Abstract: According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the corn variety designated CV062333. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CV062333, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CV062333 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The invention further relates to corn seeds and plants produced by crossing plants of variety CV062333 with plants of another variety, such as another inbred line. The invention further relates to the inbred and hybrid genetic complements of plants of variety CV062333.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Monsanto Technology LLC
    Inventors: Richard G. Stelpflug, Joel Roucolle
  • Patent number: 9012723
    Abstract: This disclosure provides purified nucleic acids and polypeptides. Also provided are transgenic plants, seeds, and plant cells containing DNA for expression of the proteins that are useful for imparting enhanced agronomic trait(s) to transgenic crop plants, methods of making such plants and methods of making agricultural commodity including seeds and hybrid seeds from such plants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Monsanto Technology LLC
    Inventors: Liang Guo, David K. Kovalic, Bo-Xing Qiu, Jack E. Tabaska, Wei Wu
  • Patent number: 9000261
    Abstract: The invention provides nucleic acids, and variants and fragments thereof, obtained from strains of Bacillus thuringiensis encoding polypeptides having pesticidal activity against insect pests, including Lepidoptera. Particular embodiments of the invention provide isolated nucleic acids encoding pesticidal proteins, pesticidal compositions, DNA constructs, and transformed microorganisms and plants comprising a nucleic acid of the embodiments. These compositions find use in methods for controlling pests, especially plant pests.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Pioneer Hi Bred International Inc
    Inventors: Andre R. Abad, Hua Dong, Sue B. Lo, Xiaomei Shi, Thomas C. Wolfe
  • Patent number: 8993836
    Abstract: The invention concerns tools, methods and compositions for modifying plants and/or protein expression in plants. The invention concerns in particular transcriptional promoters enabling specific expression in the trichomes, constructs containing said promoters, and their uses for genetically modifying cells, seeds or plants. The invention also concerns methods for producing transgenic plants expressing proteins or metabolites of interest. The invention is generally applicable to any plant having glandular trichomes, and to the expression of any protein of industrial interest, in particular therapeutic or phytosanitary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Philip Morris Products S.A.
    Inventors: Alain Tissier, Christophe Sallaud, Denis Rontein
  • Patent number: 8993837
    Abstract: Compositions and methods comprising promoters from the 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) gene and active variants and fragments thereof, as well as chimeric promoters employing regulatory regions of the HPPD promoters are provided. Further provided are expression cassettes and plants comprising the various promoters disclosed herein operably linked to a polynucleotide of interest. Methods employing the various promoters described herein to modulate the expression of polynucleotides of interest are further provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc
    Inventors: Henrik Albert, Linda A. Castle, Jian Lu, Yumin Tao
  • Patent number: 8962916
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides compositions and methods for regulating expression of heterologous nucleotide sequences in a plant. Compositions include a novel nucleotide sequence for a promoter. A method for expressing a heterologous nucleotide sequence in a plant using the promoter sequence disclosed herein is provided. The method comprises stably incorporating into the genome of a plant cell a nucleotide sequence operably linked to the promoter of the present invention and regenerating a stably transformed plant that expresses the nucleotide sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignees: Pioneer Hi Bred International Inc, E I Du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Scott Diehn, Albert L. Lu, Carl R. Simmons
  • Patent number: 8952216
    Abstract: The present invention provides an isolated promoter or an active fragment or derivative thereof capable of conferring selective expression on a gene to which it is operably connected in the endosperm of a developing plant seed and preferably in the basal endosperm transfer layer (BETL) of endosperm. The present invention also provides expression vectors and constructs and transgenic plant cells, plant parts and whole plants comprising the promoter, active fragments and derivatives, and well as methods of modulating one or more plant phenotypes employing the promoter, active fragments and derivatives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: BASF Plant Science Company GmbH
    Inventors: German Spangenberg, Ulrik John, Carl Ramage, Huihua Fu
  • Patent number: 8946512
    Abstract: The present invention relates generally to the field of molecular biology and concerns a method for enhancing yield-related traits in plants by modulating expression in a plant of one or more nucleic acid(s) encoding at least two iSYT (interactor of SYT-synovial sarcoma translocation-) polypeptides. The present invention also concerns plants having modulated expression of a nucleic acid encoding at least two iSYT polypeptides, which plants have enhanced yield-related traits relative to corresponding wild type plants or other control plants. The invention also provides hitherto unknown nucleic acids encoding at least two iSYT polypeptides, and constructs comprising the same, useful in performing the methods of the invention. The invention also provides constructs useful in the methods of the invention. Furthermore the present invention also relates to an iSYT-based protein complex.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: BASF Plant Science Company GmbH
    Inventors: Valerie Frankard, Andry Andriankaja, Yves Hatzfeld, Marieke Louwers, Steven Vandenabeele, Aurine Verkest, Geert De Jaeger, Dirk Inzé
  • Patent number: 8935880
    Abstract: Methods for manipulating yield and generation time of plants, especially short day plants such as soybean are provided. The methods comprise manipulating external signals such as long day conditions, short day conditions, growth medium, and nutrient supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Monsanto Technology LLC
    Inventors: Daniel J. Ovadya, Bala Karunanandaa, Karen Gabbert, Qin Zeng
  • Patent number: 8937219
    Abstract: The present invention pertains to a novel and extensive analytical platform for selecting genes with a possible commercial phenotype from a large group of candidate genes identified using tools in bioinformatics, data from EST sequencing and DNA array. An aspect of the invention provides methods of producing a transgenic plant having an increased growth compared to its wild type. The method comprises altering in the plant the level of a gene product of at least one gene specifically expressed during different phases of wood formation. This may be done with transgenic methods or by specific crossing methods. Further aspects of the invention provide a plant cell or plant progeny and wood having modulated gene expression according to the invention. Other aspects pertain a DNA construct comprising a nucleotide sequence of the invention and a plant cell or plant progeny comprising the DNA construct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Sweetree Technologies AB
    Inventors: Magnus Hertzberg, Rishikeshi Bhalerao, David Jonsén, Linus Möller, Pär Jonsson