Abstract: This invention relates to an isolated nucleic acid fragment encoding a chromatin associated protein. The invention also relates to the construction of a chimeric gene encoding all or a portion of the chromatin associated protein, in sense or antisense orientation, wherein expression of the chimeric gene results in production of altered levels of the chromatin associated protein in a transformed host cell.

Abstract: This invention relates to isolated nucleic acid fragments encoding all or a substantial portion of a maize, rice, or wheat histone acetyltransferase protein. The invention also relates to the construction of chimeric genes encoding all or a portion of a maize, rice, or wheat histone acetyltransferase protein, in sense or antisense orientation, wherein expression of the chimeric gene results in production of altered levels of a maize, rice, or wheat histone acetyltransferase protein in a transformed host cell. The invention also relates to targeting of the maize, rice, or wheat histone acetyltransferase protein to a novel promoter region by the addition of either a DNA-binding domain or a protein-protein interaction domain, to acetylate the core histone, weaken the interaction between core histones and DNA, open up chromatin structure, increase the efficiency of transcriptional initiation, thus leading to a higher level of gene expression.

Abstract: A method for regulating gene expression in a stably transformed transgenic plant cell utilizing a Gal4 chimeric transcription factor is described.

Abstract: A method for producing site-specific recombination of DNA in plant cells. A first DNA sequence comprising a first lox site and a second DNA sequence comprising a second lox site are introduced into the cells. The lox sites are contacted with Cre to produce recombination. Also disclosed are related plasmids, transformed plant cells, and plants containing the transformed cells.