Abstract: Chemically inducible promoters are described that may be used to transform plants, including tobacco and lettuce, with genes which are easily regulatable by adding the plants or plant cells to a medium containing an inducer of the promoter or by removing the plants or plant cells from such medium. The promoters described are ones that are inducible by a glucocorticoid or estrogen which is not endogenous to plants. Such promoters may be used with a variety of genes such as ipt, CKI1, or knotted1, to induce shoot formation in the presence of an appropriate inducer. The promoters may be used with genes which induce somatic embryos such as Lec1 or SERK to prepare somatic embryos which can be grown into seedlings and then into plants. The promoter may also be used with antibiotic or herbicide resistance genes which are then regulatable by the presence or absence of inducer rather than being constitutive. Other examples of genes which may be placed under the control of the inducible promoter are also presented.

Abstract: A method is provided of regulating transcription in a plant cell from a DNA sequence comprising a target DNA operably linked to a coding sequence, which method comprises introducing an engineered zinc finger polypeptide in said plant cell which polypeptide binds to the target DNA and modulates transcription of the coding sequence.

Abstract: The invention provides methods and compositions useful in target sequence suppression, target sequence validation and target sequence down regulation. The invention provides polynucleotide constructs useful for producing artificial microRNA (amiRNA) using synthetic amiRNA precursors.

Abstract: A method is provided of regulating transcription in a plant cell from a DNA sequence comprising a target DNA operably linked to a coding sequence, which method comprises introducing an engineered zinc finger polypeptide in said plant cell which polypeptide binds to the target DNA and modulates transcription of the coding sequence.

Abstract: A method is provided of regulating transcription in a plant cell from a DNA sequence comprising a target DNA operably linked to a coding sequence, which method comprises introducing an engineered zinc finger polypeptide in said plant cell which polypeptide binds to the target DNA and modulates transcription of the coding sequence.

Abstract: A method is provided of regulating transcription in a plant cell from a DNA sequence comprising a target DNA operably linked to a coding sequence, which method comprises introducing an engineered zinc finger polypeptide in said plant cell which polypeptide binds to the target DNA and modulates transcription of the coding sequence.

Abstract: Disclosed is a chemically inducible promoter for transforming plants or plant cells with genes which are regulatable by adding the plants or cells to a medium containing an inducer or by removing them from such medium. The promoter is inducible by a glucocorticoid, estrogen or inducer not endogenous to plants. Such promoters may be used with any plant genes that can promote shoot regeneration and development to induce shoot formation in the presence of a glucocorticoid, estrogen or inducer. The promoter may be used with antibiotic or herbicide resistance genes or other genes which are regulatable by the presence or absence of a given inducer. Also presented are organisms or cells comprising a gene wherein the natural promoter of the gene is disrupted and the gene is placed under the control of a transgenic inducible promoter. These organisms and cells and their progeny are useful for screening for conditional gain of function and loss of function mutations.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a novel auxin-inducible gene, ARGOS, that is involved in organ development, including size control, in plants. Methods of influencing this development are also described, as are transformed cells and transgenic plants comprising the described sequences.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods for promoting somatic embryogenesis from a plant cell, tissue, organ, callus or cell culture, by overexpressing a PGA37 gene in the tissue or organ. In one embodiment, such overexpression can be used as a silent selectable marker for transgenic plants. In another embodiment, such expression can be used to confer apomixis to a plant. In another embodiment, such overexpression can be used to create haploid plants, which can be used to produce dihaploid plants.

Abstract: The invention provides methods and compositions useful in target sequence suppression, target sequence validation and target sequence down regulation. The invention provides polynucleotide constructs useful for gene silencing or RNA down regulation, as well as cells, plants and seeds comprising the polynucleotides. The invention also provides a method for using microRNA to silence a target sequence or to down regulate RNA.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods for promoting somatic embryogenesis from a plant cell, tissue, organ, callus or cell culture, by overexpressing a PGA37 gene in the tissue or organ. In one embodiment, such overexpression can be used as a silent selectable marker for transgenic plants. In another embodiment, such expression can be used to confer apomixis to a plant. In another embodiment, such overexpression can be used to create haploid plants, which can be used to produce dihaploid plants.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a novel auxin-inducible gene, ARGOS, that is involved in organ development, including size control, in plants. Methods of influencing this development are also described, as are transformed cells and transgenic plants comprising the described sequences.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods for promoting somatic embryogenesis from a tissue or organ of a plant, by overexpressing a Wuschel gene in said tissue or organ. In one embodiment, such overexpression can be used as a silent selectable marker for transgenic plants. In another embodiment, such expression can be used to confer apomixis to a plant. In another embodiment, such overexpression can be used to create haploid plants, which can be used to produce dihaploid plants.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to methods for improving Agrobacterium-mediated plant transformation and regeneration of transformed tissue. More specifically, the present invention provides methods for enhancing the frequency of plant transformation by Agrobacterium in which ABI5, ABI5 ortholog protein or ABI5 homolog protein level or activity in transformed plant tissue is suppressed. Any mechanism which suppresses levels or activity of ABI5, ABI5 ortholog protein or ABI homolog protein in plants can be used to enhance the frequency of plant transformation by Agrobacterium. The present invention is further directed to plants, nucleic acids and vectors for use in the methods of invention.

Abstract: A novel gene, nacl, has been isolated from Arabidopsis. This gene encodes a protein (NACl) which has been identified as a member of the NAC family. NACl shares a high amino acid sequence homology with other members of the NAC gene products in the N-terminus. Data show that NACl belongs to a newly identified family of transcription factors. NACl is involved in the regulation of cotyledon and lateral root development. Overexpression of the gene can lead to larger plants with larger roots and more lateral roots than in wild-type plants.

Abstract: A plant gene, Esr 1, has been found which when overexpressed in plant cells results in cells which have cytokinin-independent cell growth. This feature allows the encoded protein ESR1 to be used as a selectable marker of transformed cells by growing the transformed cells on cytokinin-free media. It has also been found that overexpression of ESR1 in cells grown in the presence of cytokinins results in a higher regeneration of plants. This feature allows the gene to be used to obtain greater regeneration of plant cells.

Abstract: A chemically inducible promoter is described that may be used to transform plants, including tobacco and lettuce, with genes which are easily regulatable by adding the plants or plant cells to a medium containing an inducer of the promoter or by removing the plants or plant cells from such medium. The promoter described is one that is inducible by a glucocorticoid which is not endogenous to plants. Such promoters may be used with a variety of genes such as ipt or knotted1 to induce shoot formation in the presence of a glucocorticoid. The promoter may also be used with antibiotic or herbicide resistance genes which are then regulatable by the presence or absence of inducer rather than being constitutive. Other examples of genes which may be placed under the control of the inducible promoter are also presented.

Abstract: Disclosed is an inducible promoter system in conjunction with a site-specific recombination system which allows (i) specific activation of transgenes at specific times or (ii) excision and removal of transgenes (e.g., antibiotic resistance markers) from transgenic plants. These “suicide” gene cassettes, including the recombination system itself, can be evicted from the plant genome once their function has been exerted. The system is based on the ability to temporally and spatially induce the expression of CRE recombinase which then binds to directly repeated lox sites flanking the transgene in question leading to the precise excision of the gene cassette. Also disclosed is a method to activate an inverted, and therefore silent, transgene by placing two lox sites in opposite orientations flanking the transgene. This results in inversion of the intervening DNA fragment in the presence of CRE recombinase.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to methods of growing a transgenic plant comprising transforming a plant with a nucleic acid encoding the SINAT5 polypeptide of Arabidopsis thaliana. SINAT5 is an E3 ubiquitin ligase which regulates NAC1 gene expression and plant growth. Mutations in the SINAT5 polypeptide are also provided.

Abstract: Disclosed is an inducible promoter system in conjunction with a site-specific recombination system which allows (i) specific activation of transgenes at specific times or (ii) excision and removal of transgenes (e.g., antibiotic resistance markers) from transgenic plants. These “suicide” gene cassettes, including the recombination system itself, can be evicted from the plant genome once their function has been exerted. The system is based on the ability to temporally and spatially induce the expression of CRE recombinase which then binds to directly repeated lox sites flanking the transgene in question leading to the precise excision of the gene cassette. Also disclosed is a method to activate an inverted, and therefore silent, transgene by placing two lox sites in opposite orientations flanking the transgene. This results in inversion of the intervening DNA fragment in the presence of CRE recombinase.