Patents by Inventor James R. Alfano

James R. Alfano has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9169489
    Abstract: This disclosure provides for transgenic soybean plants expressing a soybean homolog of glycine-rich protein 7 (GRP7) and exhibiting improved innate immunity and methods of making such plants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: NUtech Ventures
    Inventors: James R. Alfano, Anna Joe, Thomas E. Clemente, Zhengqing Fu, Ming Guo, Byeong-Ryool Jeong, Thomas Elthon
  • Patent number: 8716460
    Abstract: One aspect of the present invention relates to isolated nucleic acid molecules encoding avirulence proteins or polypeptides of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae DC 3000, or nucleic acid molecules which are complementary thereto. Expression vectors, host cells, and transgenic plants which include the DNA molecules of the present invention are also disclosed. Another aspect relates to the isolated proteins or polypeptides and compositions containing the same. The various nucleic acid molecules and proteins of the present invention can be used to impart disease resistance to a plant, make a plant hypersusceptible to colonization by nonpathogenic bacteria, modify a metabolic pathway in a cell, cause eukaryotic cell death and treat a cancerous condition, as well as inhibit programmed cell death.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignees: Kansas State University Research Foundation, The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska, Cornell Research Foundation, Inc., The United States of America as Represented by the Secretary of Agriculture
    Inventors: James R. Alfano, Alan Collmer, Samuel W. Cartinhour, David J. Schneider, Xiaoyan Tang
  • Publication number: 20130074217
    Abstract: This disclosure provides for compositions and methods to increase the innate immunity of soybean plants.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2012
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Inventors: James R. Alfano, Anna Joe, Thomas E. Clemente, Zhengqing Fu, Ming Guo, Byeong-Ryool Jeong, Thomas Elthon
  • Patent number: 7220583
    Abstract: One aspect of the present invention relates to isolated nucleic acid molecules encoding avirulence proteins or polypeptides of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae DC 3000, or nucleic acid molecules which are complementary thereto. Expression vectors, host cells, and transgenic plants which include the DNA molecules of the present invention are also disclosed. Another aspect relates to the isolated proteins or polypeptides and compositions containing the same. The various nucleic acid molecules and proteins of the present invention can be used to impart disease resistance to a plant, make a plant hypersusceptible to colonization by nonpathogenic bacteria, modify a metabolic pathway in a cell, cause eukaryotic cell death and treat a cancerous condition, as well as inhibit programmed cell death.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2007
    Assignees: Cornell Research Foundation, Inc., The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska, The United States of America, as Represented by the Secretary of Agriculture
    Inventors: James R. Alfano, Alan Collmer, Samuel W. Cartinhour, David J. Schneider
  • Patent number: 7138569
    Abstract: The present invention relates to isolated nucleic acid molecules encoding a type III—secreted bacterial protein capable of modifying a cell death pathway in a plant cell. One aspect of the present invention involves an isolated nucleic acid molecule having a nucleotide sequence that encodes the HopPtoD2 protein of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae DC 3000. Expression vectors, host cells, and transgenic plants which include the DNA molecules of the present invention are also disclosed. The nucleic acid molecules of the present invention can be used to impart disease resistance to a plant and to make a plant hypersusceptible to colonization by nonpathogenic bacteria.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2006
    Assignees: Cornell Research Foundation, Inc., Kansas State University Research Foundation, Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, Inc., The Institute for Genomic Research, The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska
    Inventors: Alan Collmer, James R. Alfano, Xiaoyan Tang, C. Robin Buell, Gregory B. Martin
  • Patent number: 7102059
    Abstract: One aspect of the present invention relates to isolated nucleic acid molecules (i) encoding proteins or polypeptides of Pseudomonas CEL and EEL genomic regions, (ii) nucleic acid molecules which hybridize thereto under stringent conditions, or (iii) nucleic acid molecules that include a nucleotide sequence which is complementary to the nucleic acid molecules of (i) and (ii). Expression vectors, host cells, and transgenic plants which include the DNA molecules of the present invention are also disclosed. Another aspect relates to the isolated proteins or polypeptides and compositions containing the same. The nucleic acid molecules and proteins of the present invention can be used to imparting disease resistance to a plant, making a plant hypersusceptible to colonization by nonpathogenic bacteria, causing eukaryotic cell death, and treating cancerous conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2006
    Assignees: Cornell Research Foundation, Inc., Board of Regents University and Community College System of Nevada, on Behalf of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, University of Nebraska at Lincoln
    Inventors: Alan Collmer, James R. Alfano, Amy O. Charkowski
  • Patent number: 7045123
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to an a isolated DNA molecule from Pseudomonas syringae that encodes a protein or polypeptide which elicits a hypersensitive response in plants. This isolated DNA molecule can used to impart disease resistance to plants, to enhance plant growth, and/or to control insects on plants. Plants or plant seeds transformed with a DNA molecule encoding a hypersensitive response elicitor protein or polypeptide can be provided, and the transgenic plants or plants resulting from the transgenic plant seeds are grown under conditions effective to impart disease resistance, to enhance plant growth, and/or to control insects on plants or plants grown from the plant seeds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2006
    Assignee: Cornell Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Alan Collmer, Amy Charkowski, James R. Alfano
  • Patent number: 6852835
    Abstract: One aspect of the present invention relates to isolated nucleic acid molecules (i) encoding proteins or polypeptides of Pseudomonas CEL and EEL genomic regions, (ii) nucleic acid molecules which hybridize thereto under stringent conditions, or (iii) nucleic acid molecules that include a nucleotide sequence which is complementary to the nucleic acid molecules of (i) and (ii). Expression vectors, host cells, and transgenic plants which include the DNA molecules of the present invention are also disclosed. Another aspect relates to the isolated proteins or polypeptides and compositions containing the same. The nucleic acid molecules and proteins of the present invention can be used to imparting disease resistance to a plant, making a plant hypersusceptible to colonization by nonpathogenic bacteria, causing eukaryotic cell death, and treating cancerous conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2005
    Inventors: Alan Collmer, James R. Alfano, Amy O. Charkowski
  • Publication number: 20030204868
    Abstract: One aspect of the present invention relates to isolated nucleic acid molecules encoding avirulence proteins or polypeptides of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae DC 3000, or nucleic acid molecules which are complementary thereto. Expression vectors, host cells, and transgenic plants which include the DNA molecules of the present invention are also disclosed. Another aspect relates to the isolated proteins or polypeptides and compositions containing the same. The various nucleic acid molecules and proteins of the present invention can be used to impart disease resistance to a plant, make a plant hypersusceptible to colonization by nonpathogenic bacteria, modify a metabolic pathway in a cell, cause eukaryotic cell death and treat a cancerous condition, as well as inhibit programmed cell death.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2003
    Publication date: October 30, 2003
    Inventors: Alan Collmer, James R. Alfano, Samuel W. Cartinhour, David J. Schneider, Xiaoyan Tang
  • Publication number: 20030182681
    Abstract: One aspect of the present invention relates to isolated nucleic acid molecules encoding avirulence proteins or polypeptides of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae DC 3000, or nucleic acid molecules which are complementary thereto. Expression vectors, host cells, and transgenic plants which include the DNA molecules of the present invention are also disclosed. Another aspect relates to the isolated proteins or polypeptides and compositions containing the same. The nucleic acid molecules and proteins of the present invention can be used to impart disease resistance to a plant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2002
    Publication date: September 25, 2003
    Inventors: Alan Collmer, James R. Alfano, Xiaoyan Tang, C. Robin Buell, Gregory B. Martin
  • Publication number: 20020083489
    Abstract: One aspect of the present invention relates to isolated nucleic acid molecules (i) encoding proteins or polypeptides of Pseudomonas CEL and EEL genomic regions, (ii) nucleic acid molecules which hybridize thereto under stringent conditions, or (iii) nucleic acid molecules that include a nucleotide sequence which is complementary to the nucleic acid molecules of (i) and (ii). Expression vectors, host cells, and transgenic plants which include the DNA molecules of the present invention are also disclosed. Another aspect relates to the isolated proteins or polypeptides and compositions containing the same. The nucleic acid molecules and proteins of the present invention can be used to imparting disease resistance to a plant, making a plant hypersusceptible to colonization by nonpathogenic bacteria, causing eukaryotic cell death, and treating cancerous conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2001
    Publication date: June 27, 2002
    Inventors: Alan Collmer, James R. Alfano, Amy O. Charkowski
  • Patent number: 6172184
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to an isolated protein or polypeptide which elicits a hypersensitive response in plants as well as an isolated DNA molecule which encodes the hypersensitive response eliciting protein or polypeptide. This isolated protein or polypeptide and the isolated DNA molecule can used to impart disease resistance to plants, to enhance plant growth, and/or to control insects on plants. This can be achieved by applying the hypersensitive response elicitor protein or polypeptide in a non-infectious form to plants or plant seeds under conditions effective to impart disease resistance, to enhance plant growth, and/or to control insects on plants or plants grown from the plant seeds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2001
    Assignee: Cornell Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Alan Collmer, Amy Charkowski, James R. Alfano