Patents by Inventor Roberto A. Gaxiola

Roberto A. Gaxiola 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: 8697950
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a transgenic plant which is tolerant to a salt, comprising one or more plant cells transformed with exogenous nucleic acid which alters expression of vacuolar pyrophosphatase in the plant. The present invention also relates to a transgenic plant with increased Pi uptake, comprising one or more plant cells transformed with exogenous nucleic acid which alters expression of vacuolar pyrophosphatase in the plant. Also encompassed by the present invention are transgenic progeny and seeds of the transgenic plants described herein. Progeny transgenic plant grown from seed are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignees: University of Connecticut, Whitehead Institute For Biomedical Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Inc.
    Inventors: Roberto A. Gaxiola, Gerald R. Fink, Seth L. Alper
  • Patent number: 8168864
    Abstract: Methods are provided for imparting desirable phenotypic traits to transgenic plants, among them being increased tolerance to external stresses such as drought, freezing temperatures, high salt conditions, and the like. In addition, the present invention is directed toward methods for increasing the yield of seeds from plants by using the pollen from a transgenic plant transformed to overexpress a vacuolar proton-pumping pyrophosphatase to fertilize plants, and to the pollen of transgenic plants itself.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
    Inventors: Roberto A. Gaxiola, Seth L. Alper, Gerald R. Fink
  • Patent number: 8058515
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a transgenic plant, comprising one or more plant cells transformed with exogenous nucleic acid which increases expression of vacuolar pyrophosphatase in the plant. Also encompassed by the present invention are transgenic progeny and seeds of the transgenic plants described herein. Progeny transgenic plants grown from seed are also described. Plant cells (e.g., root cells, stem cells, leaf cells) comprising exogenous nucleic acid which increases expression of vacuolar pyrophosphatase in the plant cells are also the subject of the present invention. Also encompassed by the present invention are methods of making a transgenic plant described herein. The present invention also relates to a method of increasing the yield of a plant, a method of making a plant which is larger than its corresponding wild type plant, and a method of producing a transgenic plant with increased salt tolerance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignees: University of Connecticut, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
    Inventors: Roberto A. Gaxiola, Seth L. Alper, Gerald R. Fink
  • Patent number: 8003852
    Abstract: Transgenic plants are described which are engineered to overexpress vacuolar H+-PPase. Plants such as tobacco and petunia transformed with A. Thaliana AVP-1 are shown to have increased meristematic activity resulting in larger leaves, stem, flower, fruit, root structures, increased salt tolerance, enhanced drought and freeze tolerance. Methods of making such plants are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignees: University of Connecticut, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Inc.
    Inventors: Roberto A. Gaxiola, Gerald R. Fink, Seth L. Alper
  • Publication number: 20090288222
    Abstract: Transgenic plants are described which are engineered to overexpress vacuolar H+-PPase. Plants such as tobacco and petunia transformed with A. Thaliana AVP-1 are shown to have increased meristematic activity resulting in larger leaves, stem, flower, fruit, root structures, increased salt tolerance, enhanced drought and freeze tolerance. Methods of making such plants are also described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2009
    Publication date: November 19, 2009
    Applicants: University of Connecticut, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Inc.
    Inventors: Roberto A. Gaxiola, Gerald R. Fink, Seth L. Alper
  • Patent number: 7534933
    Abstract: Transgenic plants are described which are engineered to overexpress vacuolar H+-PPase. Plants such as tobacco and petunia transformed with A. Thaliana AVP-1 are shown to have increased meristematic activity resulting in larger leaves, stem, flower, fruit, root structures, increased salt tolerance, enhanced drought and freeze tolerance. Methods of making such plants are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2009
    Assignees: University of Connecticut, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Inc.
    Inventors: Roberto A. Gaxiola, Gerald R. Fink, Seth L. Alper
  • Publication number: 20080104733
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a transgenic plant which is tolerant to a salt, comprising one or more plant cells transformed with exogenous nucleic acid which alters expression of vacuolar pyrophosphatase in the plant. The present invention also relates to a transgenic plant with increased Pi uptake, comprising one or more plant cells transformed with exogenous nucleic acid which alters expression of vacuolar pyrophosphatase in the plant. Also encompassed by the present invention are transgenic progeny and seeds of the transgenic plants described herein. Progeny transgenic plant grown from seed are also described. Plant cells (e.g., root cells, stem cell, leaf cells, flower cells, fruit cells and seed cells) comprising exogenous nucleic acid which alters expression of vacuolar pyrophosphatase in the plant cell are also the subject of the present invention. Also encompassed by the present invention are methods of making a transgenic plant described herein.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2007
    Publication date: May 1, 2008
    Inventors: Roberto Gaxiola, Gerald Fink, Seth Alper
  • Publication number: 20050278808
    Abstract: Methods are provided for imparting desirable pohenotypic traits to transgenic plants, among them being increased tolerance to external stresses such as drought, freezing temperatures, high salt conditions, and the like. In addition, the present invention is directed toward methods for increasing the yield of seeds from plants by using the pollen from a transgenic plant transformed to overexpress a vacuolar proton-pumping pyrophosphatase to fertilize plants, and to the pollen of transgenic plants itself.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2005
    Publication date: December 15, 2005
    Inventors: Roberto Gaxiola, Seth Alper, Gerald Fink
  • Publication number: 20050262598
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a transgenic plant which is tolerant to a salt, comprising one or more plant cells transformed with exogenous nucleic acid which alters expression of vacuolar pyrophosphatase in the plant. Also encompassed by the present invention are transgenic progeny and seeds of the transgenic plants described herein. Progeny transgenic plant grown from seed are also described. The present invention also relates to a construct comprising an AVP1 gene operably linked to a chimeric promoter designed to overexpress AVP1 or designed to down regulate endogenous pyrophosphatase. Plant cells (e.g., root cells, stem cell, leaf cells) comprising exogenous nucleic acid which alters expression of vacuolar pyrophosphatase in the plant cell are also the subject of the present invention. Also encompassed by the present invention are methods of making a transgenic plant described herein.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2005
    Publication date: November 24, 2005
    Inventors: Roberto Gaxiola, Gerald Fink, Seth Alper
  • Publication number: 20030213015
    Abstract: A transgenic plant having increased meristematic activity and competence effectuating in larger leave, stem, flower, fruit and root structures comprising a polynucleotide sequence causing upregulated expression of vacuolar pyrophosphatase.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2003
    Publication date: November 13, 2003
    Inventor: Roberto A Gaxiola
  • Publication number: 20020178464
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a transgenic plant which is tolerant to a salt, comprising one or more plant cells transformed with exogenous nucleic acid which alters expression of vacuolar pyrophosphatase in the plant. Also encompassed by the present invention are transgenic progeny and seeds of the transgenic plants described herein. Progeny transgenic plant grown from seed are also described. The present invention also relates to a construct comprising an AVP1 gene operably linked to a chimeric promoter designed to overexpress AVP1 or designed to down regulate endogenous pyrophosphatase. Plant cells (e.g., root cells, stem cell, leaf cells) comprising exogenous nucleic acid which alters expression of vacuolar pyrophosphatase in the plant cell are also the subject of the present invention. Also encompassed by the present invention are methods of making a transgenic plant described herein.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2001
    Publication date: November 28, 2002
    Applicant: Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
    Inventors: Roberto A. Gaxiola, Gerald R. Fink, Seth L. Alper
  • Publication number: 20020023282
    Abstract: Methods are provided for imparting desirable pohenotypic traits to transgenic plants, among them being increased tolerance to external stresses such as drought, freezing temperatures, high salt conditions, and the like. In addition, the present invention is directed toward methods for increasing the yield of seeds from plants by using the pollen from a transgenic plant transformed to overexpress a vacuolar proton-pumping pyrophosphatase to fertilize plants, and to the pollen of transgenic plants itself.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2001
    Publication date: February 21, 2002
    Inventor: Roberto A. Gaxiola