Multicellular living organisms and unmodified parts thereof and – Method of introducing a polynucleotide molecule into or... – The polynucleotide alters fat – fatty oil – ester-type wax – or...
Patent
1995-01-30
1999-01-12
Fox, David T.
Multicellular living organisms and unmodified parts thereof and
Method of introducing a polynucleotide molecule into or...
The polynucleotide alters fat, fatty oil, ester-type wax, or...
800250, 800DIG17, 800DIG24, 800DIG26, 800DIG27, 800DIG42, 800DIG43, 800DIG44, 800DIG56, 800DIG58, 435 691, 435 701, 4351723, 435198, 435199, 435209, 435212, 435419, 435418, 536 236, 536 241, 536 245, A01H 500, A01H 510, C12N 1529, C12N 1582, C12N 504
Patent
active
058593322
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the use, in a transgenic plant, of at least a portion of a fungus-responsive promoter to induce (i.e., stimulate), in response to a fungus infection of the plant, the expression of a gene or a DNA fragment substantially selectively in cells of the plant around the site of the fungal infection. The use of the fungus-responsive promoter of this invention is especially valuable in transgenic plants for controlling a foreign gene or a DNA fragment that is to be expressed selectively in the cells of the plant which immediately surround the fungal infection site so as to render the plant resistant to the infecting fungus, particularly a plant-pathogenic fungus.
This invention also relates to a first or fungus-responsive chimaeric gene that can be used to transform a plant and that contains a first foreign DNA that: immediately surrounding a fungal infection site, can either i) kill or at least adversely disturb significantly the plant cells immediately surrounding the fungal infection site or ii) kill, disable or repel one or more fungi in the fungal infection site; and promoter of this invention.
This invention further relates to a cell of a plant, the genome of which is transformed to contain the first chimaeric gene and optionally a second or restorer chimaeric gene; the second chimaeric gene contains a second promoter that controls a second foreign DNA encoding a product which can inhibit or inactivate the first foreign DNA or its encoded product at least in cells of the plant other than those immediately surrounding a fungal infection site, particularly when the first foreign DNA encodes a product that can kill or adversely disturb significantly such other plant cells.
This invention yet further relates to: a) the fungus-resistant transgenic plant, such as a Solanaceae (e.g., tomato or potato) or Brassicaceae (e.g., oilseed rape), which is regenerated from the plant cell of this invention transformed with the first and optionally the second chimaeric genes of this invention, b) fungus-resistant transgenic plants derived from the regenerated transgenic plant and seeds of such plants, and c) plant cell cultures, all of which consist essentially of the transformed plant cells of this invention.
The plants of this invention are characterized by the fungus-responsive expression of the first chimaeric gene of this invention in plant cells surrounding, preferably immediately surrounding, the fungal infection site and either: chimaeric gene in all other plant cells; or expression of the second chimaeric gene of this invention, of the effects of any expression of the first chimaeric gene in all other plant cells--thereby rendering the plants resistant to fungal infections.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The fungi are a very old group of microorganisms. Harmful fungi cause diseases of man, other animals, and especially plants. About 8000 species of fungi can cause plant diseases, and all plants are attacked by some kind of fungi. Some plant-pathogenic fungi can attack many plant species, other attack only one.
In general, fungal plant diseases can be classified into two types: those caused by soilborne fungi and those caused by airborne fungi. Soilborne fungi cause some of the most widespread and serious plant diseases, such as root and stem rot caused by Fusarium spp. and root rot caused by Phytophthora spp.
Since airborne fungi can be spread long distances by wind, they can cause devastating losses, particularly in crops which are grown over large regions. A number of these pathogens have caused widespread epidemics in a variety of crops. Important diseases caused by airborn fungi are stem rust (Puccinia graminis) on wheat, corn smut (Ustilago maydis) on corn, and late blight disease (Phytophthora infestans) on potato and tomato.
Most of these fungal diseases are difficult to combat, and farmers and growers must use a combination of practices, such as sanitary measures, resistant cultivars, and effective fungicides, against such diseases. Hundreds of million of doll
REFERENCES:
Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, "Structural Analysis and Activation by Fungal Infection of a Gene Encoding a Pathogenesis-Related Protein in Potato", Janet L. Taylor, et al., vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 72-77, 1990.
Plant Science, "Transformation of Japanese Potato Cultivars with the .beta.-Glucuronidase Gene Fused with the Promoter of the Pathogenesis-Related 1 a Protein Gene of Tobacco", Teruo Ishige, et al., vol. 73 (1991), pp. 167-174.
Chemical Abstracts, vol. 111, No. 23, Dec. 4, 1989, Abstract No. 212143j, Urs Christ, et al.
Biosis Previews Database, Abstract No. 87130376, J. Joosten, et al.
Oshima et al., "Analysis of Stress-Induced or Salicyclic Acid-Induced Expression of the Pathogenesis-Related 1 a Protein Gene in Transgenic Tobacco", The Plant Cell, vol. 2, 95-106, Feb. 1990.
Ohashi et al. 1990. Japanese Agricultural Research Quarterly 24(2):91-99.
Mariani et al. 1990. Nature 347:737-741.
Martini Norbert
Strittmatter Gunter
Fox David T.
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Forderung
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