Abstract: A method of controlling a genetically-modified plant, comprising (a) providing a genetically-modified plant, whereby cells of said genetically-modified plant contain a heterologous nucleic acid and whereby said genetically-modified plant is inactive with regard to a cellular process of interest, (b) switching on said cellular process of interest by directly introducing a polypeptide from a cell-free composition into cells containing said heterologous nucleic acid wherein said polypeptide and said heterologous nucleic acid are mutually adapted such that said polypeptide is capable of switching on said cellular process of interest.

Abstract: This invention provides a process of amplification and/or expression of a sequence of interest in a cell by providing for generating within the cell at least one amplicon by trans-splicing between an RNA sequence designed for being capable of trans-splicing and a target RNA, whereby the amplicon is capable of amplifying in the cell and capable of expressing a sequence of interest.

Abstract: A process of producing a protease in a plant or in plant cells, comprising (a) providing a plant comprising a heterologous nucleotide sequence comprising a coding sequence encoding a fusion protein, said fusion protein comprising: an apoplast or plastid signal peptide; a SUMO protein or a derivative of a SUMO protein; and a zymogen of said protease, and (b) expressing said fusion protein.

Abstract: The invention describes virus-based amplification vectors for plants containing additional plant-specific internal ribosome entry site (IRES) element(s) allowing for a polycistronic translation and a cap-independent translation of: a) heterologous gene(s); b) whole viral genome or c) viral subgenomic RNAs. Said IRES elements are of plant viral origin, or they are isolated from other organisms or engineered using different synthesis procedures. Said IRES element(s) and said heterologous gene(s) are inserted into amplification vectors and allow for the expression of said heterologous gene(s) in the absence of additional viral promoters, in particular, said expression is achieved through cap-independent translation.

Abstract: A process of producing a transgenic multi-cellular plants or parts thereof expressing a trait of interest, said trait having a controlled distribution of said trait to progeny, wherein said process comprises (i) producing a first plant or a cell thereof having in a first locus of a nuclear chromosome a first heterologous nucleotide sequence comprising a first fragment of a nucleotide sequence encoding said trait of interest, (ii) producing a second plant or a cell thereof having in a second locus of a nuclear chromosome homologous to said nuclear chromosome of step (i), a second heterologous nucleotide sequence comprising a second fragment of the nucleotide sequence encoding said trait of interest, and (iii) hybridising said first and said second plant or cells thereof to generate progeny exhibiting said functional trait of interest due to binding between a protein or polypeptide encoded by said first heterologous nucleotide sequence and a protein or polypeptide encoded by said second heterologous nucleotide

Abstract: A process of the production of a product of interest in an F1 seed obtained by a hybridization of a first and a second transgenic parental plant, said hybridization generating a genetic endowment in said F1 seed for said production by combining in said F1 seed first and second partial genetic endowments of said first and second transgenic parental plants, followed by isolating said product of interest from said F1 seed or a seedling thereof.

Abstract: Nucleic acid comprising or encoding an RNA replica comprising, in this order, the following segments (i) to (iii): i) a nucleic acid sequence encoding a potexvirus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase or a function-conservative variant thereof; ii) a nucleic acid sequence comprising: a) a potexvirus triple gene block or a function-conservative variant thereof and b) a sequence encoding a potexviral coat protein or a function-conservative variant thereof; or a sequence encoding a tobago viral movement protein; and iii) a heterologous nucleic acid sequence expressible from said replica in a plant or in plant tissue.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods of isolating and purifying proteins and other organic small molecules produced in hosts using viruses. Also disclosed are methods of visualizing and/or localizing proteins and other organic small molecules produced in hosts using viruses. Further disclosed are compositions of matter containing the protein or small molecule bound to a virus.

Abstract: This invention discloses a biologically safe process of causing amplification and/or expression of one or more nucleic acid sequences of interest in a plant, plant tissue, plant cell or cell culture, characterized in that a plant cell is provided with at least two precursor vectors designed for undergoing processing by site-specific recombination in said cell, whereby due to said processing said plant cell is endowed with at least one replicon which provide(s) for said amplification and/or expression.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of producing a genetically engineered transgenic organism, by (a) incorporating into the organism a functional DNA sequence that confers a trait on an organism and (b) incorporating into the organism a non-functional DNA sequence, wherein the non-functional DNA sequence encodes an information message using a predefined coding scheme, wherein the information message provides information about the functional DNA sequence, and the predefined coding scheme can be used to map a plurality of information messages into a plurality of non-functional DNA sequences and additionally, the functional and the non-functional DNA sequence are incorporated into the same chromosome of the organism.

Abstract: This invention describes a process for gene expression in plants utilizing translational vectors. Said translational vectors cause a gene of interest to be stably integrated into a transcriptionally active host genomic DNA such that the transcription of the gene of interest is controlled by a promoter of the host plant. Said translational vectors are preferably based on internal ribosome entry site (IRES) elements that are of plant origin.

Abstract: A process of producing a transgenic multi-cellular plants or parts thereof expressing a trait of interest, said trait having a controlled distribution of said trait to progeny, wherein said process comprises (i) producing a first plant or a cell thereof having in a first locus of a nuclear chromosome a first heterologous nucleotide sequence comprising a first fragment of a nucleotide sequence encoding said trait of interest, (ii) producing a second plant or a cell thereof having in a second locus of a nuclear chromosome homologous to said nuclear chromosome of step (i), a second heterologous nucleotide sequence comprising a second fragment of the nucleotide sequence encoding said trait of interest, and (iii) hybridising said first and said second plant or cells thereof to generate progeny exhibiting said functional trait of interest due to binding between a protein or polypeptide encoded by said first heterologous nucleotide sequence and a protein or polypeptide encoded by said second heterologous nucleotide

Abstract: A process of producing a transgenic multi-cellular plant or animal organism expressing a trait of interest and having a controlled distribution of said trait to progeny, wherein said process comprises hybridising a first multi-cellular organism or a cell thereof having a first heterologous DNA sequence comprising a first fragment of a nucleotide sequence encoding said trait of interest and a second multi-cellular organism or a cell thereof having a second heterologous DNA sequence comprising a second fragment of the nucleotide sequence encoding said trait of interest, whereby said first and said second heterologous sequences are designed such that said trait of interest arises due to RNA trans-splicing after said hybridation.

Abstract: A process of producing one or more than one protein of interest, comprising: (a) providing a plant or plant cells comprising a first heterologous nucleotide sequence comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding an RNA replicon, and a first inducible promoter operably linked to said nucleotide sequence encoding said RNA replicon; said RNA replicon not encoding a protein providing for cell-to-cell movement of said RNA replicon in said plant; said RNA replicon encoding a polymerase and said one or more than one protein of interest, said polymerase being adapted for replicating said RNA replicon; and (b) inducing, in said plant or plant cells of step (a), said inducible promoter, thereby producing said one or more than one protein of interest in said plant or plant cells.

Abstract: A process of producing transgenic plants or plant cells stably transformed on a chromosome with a DNA sequence of interest and capable of expressing a function of interest from said DNA sequence of interest, said process comprising (a) providing plant cells or plants with at least two different vectors, whereby (i) said at least two different vectors are adapted to recombine with each other by site-specific recombination in said plant cells for producing a non-replicating recombination product containing said DNA sequence of interest, (ii) said at least two different vectors are adapted for integrating said DNA sequence of interest into said chromosome, (iii) said DNA sequence of interest contains sequence portions from at least two of said at least two different vectors, said sequence portions being necessary for expressing said function of interest from said DNA sequence of interest; and (b) selecting plants or plant cells expressing said function of interest.

Abstract: Process of producing in a plant, in plant tissue, or in plant cells a hetero-oligomeric protein comprising at least a first and a second protein subunit, said process comprising expressing in plant cells at least said first and said second protein subunit by (i) providing to said plant, said plant tissue or said plant cells a plus-sense single-stranded RNA viral vector encoding at least said first and said second protein subunit or (ii) providing to said plant, said plant tissue or said plant cells a first and a second plus-sense single-stranded RNA viral vector, said first viral vector encoding at least said first protein subunit, said second viral vector encoding at least said second protein subunit, whereby at least said first viral vector and said second viral vector are non-competing viral vectors.

Abstract: A process of purifying a protein of interest using viral particles or virus-like particles comprising a plurality of fusion protein molecules, said fusion protein comprising the following fusion protein domains: (i) a plant viral coat protein, (ii) a recombinant protein, and (iii) optionally a peptide linker linking said plant viral coat protein and said recombinant protein, wherein formation of said viral particle does not require free viral coat protein.

Abstract: A process of producing a protein of interest in cells of a predetermined plant, comprising: introducing into said cells a vector encoding a fusion protein comprising from the N-terminus to the C-terminus (i) a transit peptide for targeting said fusion protein into plastids and, contiguous thereto, (ii) said protein of interest, wherein the C-terminal three amino acids X?3X?2X?1 of said transit peptide and the N-terminal amino acid Z of said protein of interest form a cleavage site X?3X?2X?1-Z for cleaving said fusion protein between X?1 and Z for releasing said protein of interest in plastids, whereby for a predetermined amino acid Z of said protein of interest an amino acid sequence X?3X?2X?1 is selected from the set of amino acid sequences X?3X?2X?1 naturally occurring contiguous to Z in plastid-targeted fusion proteins in plants, thereby forming said cleavage site.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods for introducing nucleic acid constructs called “landing pads” in plant genes for the insertion of transgenes, and methods for introducing the transgenes into the landing pads. Transgenic plants and plant parts produced by the methods, and seeds derived from the plants, are also disclosed.

Abstract: A process of producing a protein of interest by expression of said protein of interest from a sequence of interest in a plant or in plant leaves, comprising: (a) transfecting said plant or said plant leaves by infiltrating said plant or said plant leaves with an Agrobacterium strain in the presence of a complementing factor, said Agrobacterium strain containing in T-DNA a heterologous DNA sequence having a sequence portion encoding a replicon, wherein said sequence encoding a replicon contains sequences necessary for replicon function of said replicon, said sequences being derived from a plant virus, and said sequence of interest to be expressed from said replicon, (b) isolating said protein of interest from said plant or said plant leaves infiltrated in step (a), wherein said Agrobacterium strain is provided with a first genetic modification rendering said Agrobacterium strain defective for transfecting organisms with said T-DNA in the absence of said complementing factor.