Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology – Measuring or testing process involving enzymes or... – Involving viable micro-organism
Patent
1996-08-05
1998-05-12
Ketter, James
Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology
Measuring or testing process involving enzymes or...
Involving viable micro-organism
435 691, 435 711, 435171, 4351723, 43525411, G12Q 102
Patent
active
057503621
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to methods for identifying substances with a potential herbicidal or growth-regulating action by means of plant transporter proteins (transporters), to the use thereof, and to substances identifiable by the method and having a herbicidal or growth-regulating action.
Novel crop protection agents are required to have lower toxicity, greater environmental compatibility and improved efficacy by comparison with conventional agents. is The probability of successfully finding such substances depends, besides the number of substances available, essentially on the method used to identify the active substances. Since conventional methods are usually based on direct testing of substances for their herbicidal or growth-regulating activity on plants, these methods are, a rule, very time-consuming and costly and require extensive trial areas. Consequently, comparatively few substances can be tested at the same time.
There is therefore a need for methods which can be carried out simply and rapidly in order to permit a sufficient number of substances to be investigated.
We have now found a method which can be used to identify chemical compounds which specifically interact with a transporter protein from plants. The method comprises, according to the invention, initially testing these substances on a transgenic organism, preferably a unicellular organism, which functionally expresses a plant transporter protein, or on transgenic cells which functionally express a plant transporter protein, for inhibition of the transport process.
The substances identified thereby as inhibitory are subsequently investigated for their effect on whole plants. The term transporter proteins means for the purposes of this invention proteins which are responsible for transporting substances through membranes in plant cells. In the method according to the invention, a plant transporter protein is integrated into a test system which makes it possible to determine, qualitatively and quantitatively, with biochemical, microbiological and physiological methods of measurement, the membrane transport function. The use of this test system makes it possible specifically to find active substances which are able to interact with the transport proteins of the plant. Interaction of substances with a transporter protein may bring about inhibition or inactivation of the transport process and, moreover, may lead to transport of the substance itself. Since transport processes play a central part in overall plant metabolism and are often essential for growth of plants, the method according to the invention makes it possible to identify, specifically and with higher probability, substances which exert an effect on plant growth. The interaction may elicit a growth-regulating or herbicidal action if the substance which is found leads to inhibition of the natural transport process. In the event that the substance with inhibitory activity is itself transported, it may, as ingredient of crop protection agents, such as fungicides, insecticides, nematicides and acaricides, especially herbicides and growth regulators, increase their mobility in plants and thus lead to novel agents which are more effective. The test system according to the invention can furthermore be used to investigate plant transporter proteins at the molecular level.
To date no methods have been described for identifying substances with a herbicidal or growth-regulating action by means of a plant transporter protein. There has likewise been no description of the inhibition of plant transport processes as mechanism of action of herbicides. Furthermore, it is also unknown whether plant transporter proteins represent, because of their position in the metabolism, eg. in supplying the organs of reproduction, an interesting potential target for herbicides or growth regulators.
The method according to the invention comprises a biochemical test system which, in its first stage, is preferably carried out on unicellular organisms or on cells maintained in cell culture. This test syste
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Frommer Wolf-Bernd
Kwart Marion
Ninnemann Olaf
Riesmeier Jorg
Streber Wolfgang
BASF - Aktiengesellschaft
Ketter James
Yucel Irem
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