Patents Assigned to Mendel Biotechnology
  • Patent number: 8030546
    Abstract: Transcription factor polynucleotides and polypeptides incorporated into nucleic acid constructs, including expression vectors, have been introduced into plants and were ectopically expressed. Transgenic plants transformed with many of these constructs have been shown to be more resistant to disease (in some cases, to more than one pathogen), or more tolerant to an abiotic stress (in some cases, to more than one abiotic stress). The abiotic stress may include, for example, salt, hyperosmotic stress, water deficit, heat, cold, drought, or low nutrient conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Mendel Biotechnology, Inc.
    Inventors: T. Lynne Reuber, Oliver Ratcliffe, Karen S. Century, Neal I. Gutterson, Roger Canales, Emily L. Queen
  • Patent number: 8022274
    Abstract: Polynucleotides incorporated into nucleic acid constructs have been introduced into plants and were ectopically expressed. The encoded polypeptides of the invention have been shown to confer at least one regulatory activity and confer earlier flowering, longer floral organ retention, increased cold tolerance, greater tolerance to water deprivation, altered carbon-nitrogen balance sensing, increased low nitrogen tolerance, and/or increased tolerance to hyperosmotic stress as compared to a control plant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Mendel Biotechnology, Inc.
    Inventors: Jose Luis Riechmann, Oliver J. Ratcliffe, T. Lynne Reuber, Katherine Krolikowski, Jacqueline E. Heard, Omaira Pineda, Cai-Zhong Jiang, Robert A. Creelman, Roderick W. Kumimoto, Paul Chomet
  • Patent number: 7994394
    Abstract: Disease-inducible promoter sequences have been identified that may be used to produce transgenic plants that are both more resistant to disease than control plants, and are wild-type or nearly wild type in appearance. Any of these disease-inducible promoters may be incorporated into expression vectors that each comprise a defense response protein operably linked to the promoter. The expression vectors can be introduced into plants and the defense response protein then ectopically expressed. Transgenic plants transformed with many of these expression vectors have been shown to be more resistant to disease, in some cases, to more than one type of pathogen, and yet are similar to wild type plants in their morphology and development.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: Mendel Biotechnology, Inc.
    Inventors: Luc Adam, T. Lynne Reuber, Karen S. Century
  • Publication number: 20110179520
    Abstract: Tissue-enhanced promoter sequences were identified that enhance expression of a polypeptide in one or more plant tissues. These promoters may be used to produce transgenic plants that have an altered trait relative to control plants. In preferred embodiments, the transgenic plants with the improved traits are morphologically and/or developmentally similar to control plants (examples of the latter include wild-type or non-transformed plants of the same species). Any of these tissue-enhanced promoters may be incorporated into a nucleic acid construct that comprises a polynucleotide regulated by one such promoter and that encodes a polypeptide or RNA molecule that, when ectopically expressed, confers an improved trait in plants.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2011
    Publication date: July 21, 2011
    Applicant: Mendel Biotechnology, Inc.
    Inventors: Suqin CAI, Hans E. Holtan, Peter P. Repetti, T. Lynne Reuber
  • Publication number: 20110173712
    Abstract: Altering the activity of specific regulatory proteins in plants, for example, by knocking down or knocking out HY5 clade or STH2 clade protein expression, or by modifying COP1 clade protein expression, can have beneficial effects on plant performance, including improved stress tolerance and yield.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2009
    Publication date: July 14, 2011
    Applicant: Mendel Biotechnology, Inc.
    Inventors: Rajnish Khanna, Oliver Ratcliffe, T. Lynne Reuber
  • Patent number: 7960612
    Abstract: The invention relates to plant transcription factor polypeptides, polynucleotides that encode them, homologs from a variety of plant species, and methods of using the polynucleotides and polypeptides to produce transgenic plants having advantageous properties, including increased soluble solids, lycopene, and improved plant volume or yield, as compared to wild-type or control plants. The invention also pertains to expression systems that may be used to regulate these transcription factor polynucleotides, providing constitutive, transient, inducible and tissue-specific regulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignees: Mendel Biotechnology, Inc., Monsanto Technology LLC
    Inventors: James Z. Zhang, Frederick D. Hempel, Luc J. Adam, Joseph M. Palys, T. Lynne Reuber, Oliver J. Ratcliffe, Robert A. Creelman, Raymond R. Samaha, Pierre E. Broun
  • Publication number: 20110138499
    Abstract: The invention relates to plant transcription factor polypeptides, polynucleotides that encode them, homologs from a variety of plant species, and methods of using the polynucleotides and polypeptides to produce transgenic plants having advantageous properties, including increased soluble solids, lycopene, and improved plant volume or yield, as compared to wild-type or control plants. The invention also pertains to expression systems that may be used to regulate these transcription factor polynucleotides, providing constitutive, transient, inducible and tissue-specific regulation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 31, 2010
    Publication date: June 9, 2011
    Applicant: Mendel Biotechnology, Inc.
    Inventors: James Zhang, Frederick D. Hempel, Luc J. Adam
  • Patent number: 7956242
    Abstract: The invention relates to plant transcription factor polypeptides, polynucleotides that encode them, homologs from a variety of plant species, and methods of using the polynucleotides and polypeptides to produce transgenic plants having advantageous properties, including increased soluble solids, lycopene, and improved plant volume or yield, as compared to wild-type or control plants. The invention also pertains to expression systems that may be used to regulate these transcription factor polynucleotides, providing constitutive, transient, inducible and tissue-specific regulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: Mendel Biotechnology, Inc.
    Inventors: James Zhang, Frederick D. Hempel, Luc J. Adam
  • Publication number: 20110126326
    Abstract: A new and strong transcriptional activation domain was identified from the Arabidopsis protein Ethylene Response Factor 98 (AtERF98). This domain has been designated as the “EDLL domain” and has a number of highly conserved amino acid residues that are found throughout the members of the AtERF98 family from plants, including in monocot and eudicot orthologs. The EDLL domain was shown to be highly active when it was fused to transcription factors from plant and yeast, and was also shown to have activation potential comparable to the widely-used VP16 activation domain derived from Herpes simplex. The EDLL domain was also active when it was targeted to a gene promoter by a sequence-specific DNA binding protein or by protein-protein interactions. Unlike other known activation domains such as VP16 and GAL4, the EDLL domain is relatively small in size, and being of plant origin, it is favored as a strong transcriptional activation tool for application in transgenic food crops.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2009
    Publication date: May 26, 2011
    Applicant: MENDEL BIOTECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventors: Shiv Tiwari, Roger Canales, T. Lynne Reuber, Karen S. Century, Oliver Ratcliffe
  • Publication number: 20110119789
    Abstract: The invention is directed to transgenic plants transformed with nucleic acids that encode a plant transcription factor that increases the transgenic plant's size and yield and/or delays flowering in the plant, and methods of using and producing the transgenic plants.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2010
    Publication date: May 19, 2011
    Applicant: Mendel Biotechnology, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert A. Creelman, Luc J. Adam, Jose Luis Riechmann, Jacqueline E. Heard, Omaira Pineda, Cai-Zhong Jiang, Oliver J. Ratcliffe, T. Lynne Reuber
  • Patent number: 7939715
    Abstract: Polynucleotides incorporated into expression vectors have been introduced into plants and were ectopically expressed. The encoded polypeptides of the invention have been shown to confer at least one regulatory activity and confer greater size, greater organ size, greater biomass, greater yield, curlier leaves, darker coloration, greater tolerance to water deprivation, delayed flowering, delayed development, delayed senescence, greater tolerance to cold, and/or greater tolerance to hyperosmotic stress as compared to a control plant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: Mendel Biotechnology, Inc.
    Inventors: Oliver J. Ratcliffe, Roderick W. Kumimoto, Cai-Zhong Jiang, Jeffrey M. Libby, Robert Creelman, Peter P. Repetti, T. Lynne Reuber, Neal I. Gutterson, Ganesh Kumar, Balasulojini Karunanandaa, Karen Gabbert
  • Publication number: 20110078806
    Abstract: The invention relates to plant transcription factor polypeptides, polynucleotides that encode them, homologs from a variety of plant species, and methods of using the polynucleotides and polypeptides to produce transgenic plants having advantageous properties compared to a reference plant. Sequence information related to these polynucleotides and polypeptides can also be used in bioinformatic search methods and is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2010
    Publication date: March 31, 2011
    Applicant: MENDEL BIOTECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: CAI-ZHONG JIANG, JACQUELINE E. HEARD, OLIVER RATCLIFFE, ROBERT A. CREELMAN, LUC ADAM, T. LYNNE REUBER, JOSE LUIS RIECHMANN, VOLKER HAAKE, ARNOLD N. DUBELL, JAMES S. KEDDIE, BRADLEY K. SHERMAN
  • Patent number: 7897843
    Abstract: The invention relates to plant transcription factor polypeptides, polynucleotides that encode them, homologs from a variety of plant species, and methods of using the polynucleotides and polypeptides to produce transgenic plants having advantageous properties, including increased biomass or improved cold or other osmotic stress tolerance, as compared to wild-type or reference plants. The invention also pertains to expression systems that may be used to regulate these transcription factor polynucleotides, providing constitutive, transient, inducible and tissue-specific regulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Mendel Biotechnology, Inc.
    Inventors: Cai-Zhong Jiang, Jacqueline E. Heard, Oliver Ratcliffe, Neal I. Gutterson, Frederick D. Hempel, Roderick W. Kumimoto, James S. Keddie, Bradley K. Sherman, Jeffrey M. Libby, Jindong Sun, Kimberly Faye Zobrist-Duff, Jingrui Wu, Changlin Fu, Stanton B. Dotson, Linda L. Lutfiyya
  • Publication number: 20110047651
    Abstract: Methods and compositions for the efficient transformation of Miscanthus are provided. The method involves infection with Agrobacterium, particularly those comprising a binary vector. In this manner, any gene or nucleotide sequence of interest can be introduced into the Miscanthus plant. The transformed gene or nucleotide sequence of interest will be flanked by at least one T-DNA border and present in the transformed Miscanthus in low copy number. Transformed Miscanthus, cells, tissues, plants, and seed are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2009
    Publication date: February 24, 2011
    Applicant: Mendel Biotechnology, Inc.
    Inventors: Dean Engler, Jianxin Chen
  • Patent number: 7888558
    Abstract: The invention relates to plant transcription factor polypeptides, polynucleotides that encode them, homologs from a variety of plant species, and methods of using the polynucleotides and polypeptides to produce transgenic plants having advantageous properties, tolerance low nitrogen, cold and water deficit conditions, and resistance to disease, as compared to wild-type or other control plants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: Mendel Biotechnology, Inc.
    Inventors: Neal I. Gutterson, Oliver Ratcliffe, Emily L. Queen, T. Lynne Reuber, Karen S. Century, Roger Canales
  • Publication number: 20110010792
    Abstract: The invention relates to plant transcription factor polypeptides, polynucleotides that encode them, homologs from a variety of plant species, and methods of using the polynucleotides and polypeptides to produce transgenic plants having advantageous properties, including increased soluble solids, lycopene, and improved plant volume or yield, as compared to wild-type or control plants. The invention also pertains to expression systems that may be used to regulate these transcription factor polynucleotides, providing constitutive, transient, inducible and tissue-specific regulation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2010
    Publication date: January 13, 2011
    Applicant: Mendel Biotechnology, Inc.
    Inventors: James Zhang, Frederick D. Hempel
  • Publication number: 20110010796
    Abstract: Water deficit-inducible promoter sequences were identified that may be used to produce transgenic plants that are more tolerant to water deficit and related hyperosmotic stresses than control plants, and yet are wild-type or nearly wild type in appearance. Any of these water deficit-inducible promoters may be incorporated into an expression vector that comprises a polynucleotide regulated by one such promoter and which encodes a polypeptide that, when ectopically expressed, improves water deficit tolerance in plants that are similar to control plants in their morphology and development.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2008
    Publication date: January 13, 2011
    Applicant: Mendel Biotechnology, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter P. Repetti, Hans E. Holtan, Roderick W. Kumimoto, Oliver J. Ratcliffe
  • Patent number: PP22033
    Abstract: A new and distinct cultivar of Miscanthus plant named ‘MBS 7001’, characterized by its rigorous growth rate, top leaf height of about 2.7 meters, green-colored leaves, high biomass yield and high tiller density.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Mendel Biotechnology, Inc.
    Inventor: Martin Deuter
  • Patent number: PP22047
    Abstract: A new and distinct cultivar of Miscanthus plant named ‘MBS 7002’, characterized by its rigorous growth rate, plant height of about 2.7 meters, green-colored leaves, high biomass yield and high tiller density.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2011
    Assignee: Mendel Biotechnology, Inc.
    Inventor: Martin Deuter
  • Patent number: PP22127
    Abstract: A new and distinct cultivar of Miscanthus named ‘MBS 1002’, generally characterized by its rigorous growth rate, high biomass yield and high tiller density.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: Mendel Biotechnology, Inc.
    Inventor: Martin Deuter