Multicellular living organisms and unmodified parts thereof and – Method of introducing a polynucleotide molecule into or... – The polynucleotide alters plant part growth
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-22
2004-08-03
McElwain, Elizabeth F. (Department: 1638)
Multicellular living organisms and unmodified parts thereof and
Method of introducing a polynucleotide molecule into or...
The polynucleotide alters plant part growth
C800S280000, C800S287000, C800S288000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06770800
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to plant molecular biology.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Cell division plays a crucial role during all phases of plant development. The continuation of organogenesis and growth responses to a changing environment requires precise spatial, temporal and developmental regulation of cell division activity in meristems (and in cells with the capability to form new meristems such as in lateral root formation). Such control of cell division is also important in organs themselves (i.e. separate from meristems per se), for example, in leaf expansion, secondary growth, and endoreduplication.
A complex network controls cell proliferation in eukaryotes. Various regulatory pathways communicate environmental constraints, such as nutrient availability, mitogenic signals such as growth factors or hormones, or developmental cues such as the transition from vegetative to reproductive. Ultimately, these regulatory pathways control the timing, frequency (rate), plane and position of cell divisions.
Plants have unique developmental features that distinguish them from other eukaryotes. Plant cells do not migrate, and thus only cell division, expansion and programmed cell death determine morphogenesis. Organs are formed throughout the entire life span of the plant from specialized regions called meristems.
In addition, many differentiated cells have the potential to both dedifferentiate and to reenter the cell cycle. There are also numerous examples of plant cell types that undergo endoreduplication, a process involving nuclear multiplication without cytokinesis. The study of plant cell cycle control genes is expected to contribute to the understanding of these unique phenomena. O. Shaul et al.,
Regulation of Cell Division in Arabidopsis, Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences
, 15(2):97-112 (1996).
In spite of increases in yield and harvested area worldwide, it is predicted that over the next ten years, meeting the demand for corn will require an additional 20% increase over current production (Dowswell, C. R., Paliwal, R. L., Cantrell, R. P. 1996. Maize in the Third World, Westview Press, Boulder, Colo.).
The components most often associated with maize productivity are grain yield or whole-plant harvest for animal feed (in the forms of silage, fodder, or stover). Thus the relative growth of the vegetative or reproductive organs might be preferred, depending on the ultimate use of the crop. Whether the whole plant or the ear are harvested, overall yield will depend strongly on vigor and growth rate. It would therefore be valuable to develop new methods that contribute to the increase in crop yield.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide methods for modulating cell division in a transgenic plant.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for influencing endoreduplication in a plant.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for increasing crop yield.
Therefore, in one aspect, the present invention provides a method for modulating endoreduplication comprising introducing into a plant cell a viral replicase nucleic acid, a viral replicase polypeptide or a functional derivative thereof.
In another aspect the present invention provides a method for increasing crop yield comprising introducing into a plant cell an isolated viral replicase polynucleotide or a functional variant thereof operably linked to a promoter driving expression in a plant.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5945581 (1999-08-01), Zaitlin et al.
patent: 5986175 (1999-11-01), Jilka et al.
patent: 6133505 (2000-10-01), Gronenborn
patent: 6284947 (2001-09-01), Gordon-Kamm et al.
patent: WO 91/13542 (1991-09-01), None
patent: WO 97/47745 (1997-12-01), None
patent: WO 98/56811 (1998-12-01), None
Larkins, et al “Investigating the hows and whys of DNA endoreduplication”, 2001, Journal of Experimental Botany, vol. 52, No. 355 pp. 183-192.*
Xie et al., “Plant cells contain a novel member of the retinoblastoma family of growth regulatory proteins”,The EMBO Journal, vol. 15, No. 18, pp. 4900-4908 (1996).
Xie et al., “Identification and analysis of a retinoblastoma binding motif in the replication protein of a plant DNA virus: requirement for efficient viral DNA replication”,The EMBO Journal, vol. 14, No. 16, pp. 4073-4082 (1995).
Collin et al., “The Two Nonstructural Proteins from Wheat Dwarf Virus Involved in Viral Gene Expression and Replication are Retinoblastoma-Binding Proteins”,Virology, vol. 219, pp. 324-329 (1996).
Grafi et al., “A maize cDNA encoding a member of the retinoblastoma protein family: Involvement in endoreduplication”,Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, vol. 93, pp. 8962-8967 (1996).
Grafi, Gideon; “Cell Cycle Regulation of DNA Replication: The Endoreduplication Perspective”,Experimental Cell Research, vol. 244, pp. 372-378 (1988).
Grafi et al., “Endoreduplication in Maize Endosperm: Involvement of M Phase-Promoting Factor Inhibition and Induction of S Phase-Related Kinases”,Science, vol. 269, pp. 1262-1264 (1995).
Gutierrez, Crisanto; “The retinoblastoma pathway in plant cell cycle and development”,Current Opinion in Plant Biology, vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 492-497 (1998).
Oritz et al., “Effect of the parthenocarpy gene P1and ploidy on fruit and bunch traits of plantain-banana hybrids”Heredity75:460-465 (1995).
Orozco, B.M., “Functional Domains of a Geminivirus Replication Protein”,The Journal of Biological Chemistry272(15):9840-9846 (1997).
Stanley, J., “Geminiviruses: plant viral vectors”,Current Opinion in Genetics and Development3:91-96 (1993).
Timmermans et al., “Geminiviruses and Their Use as Extrachromosomal Replicons”,Annual Review Plant Physiol Plant Mol. Bio.45:79-112 (1994).
Warner et al., “Effects of Polyploidy on Photosynthetic Rates, Photosynthetic Enzymes, Contents of DNA, Chlorophyll, and Size and Numbers of Photosynthetic Cells in the C4Dicot Atriplex confertifolia1”, PlantPhysiol.91:1143-1151 (1989).
Elmer et al., “Agrobacterium-mediated inoculation of plants with tomato golden mosaic virus DNAs”,Plant Mol. Biol.10:225-234 (1988).
Hanley-Bowdoin et al., “Functional Expression of the Leftward Open Reading Frames of the A Component of Tomato Golden Mosaic Virus in Transgenic Tobacco Plants”,The Plant Cell1:1057-1067 (1989).
Rogers et al., “Tomato Golden Mosaic Virus A Component DNA Replicates Autonomously in Transgenic Plants”,Cell45:583-600 (1986).
van Dun et al., Expression of Alfalfa Mosaic Virus cDNA1 and 2 in Transgenic Tobacco Plants,Virology163:572-578 (1988).
Brunori et al., “Cell number and polyploidy in the starchy endosperm ofTriticum aestivumin relation to seed weight”,J. Genet.&Breed.47:217-220 (1993).
Caldeira et al., “Human papillomavirus E7 proteins stimulate proliferation independently of their ability to associate with retinoblastoma protein”, Oncogene 19:821-826 (2000).
Chasan, R., “Geminiviruses: A Twin Approach to Replication”,The Plant Cell, 2:659-660 (1995).
Davies et al., “The Structure, Expression, functions and Possible Exploitation of Geminivirus Genomes”,Plant DNA Infectious Agents/edited by T. Hohn and J. Schell, Wien: Springer-Verlag 2:31-52 (1987).
Gendreau et al., “Cellular Basis of Hypocotyl Growth inArabidopsis thaliana1”, Plant Physiol.114:295-305 (1997).
Iuliano et al., “Pivotal Role of the RB Family in in Vitro Thyroid Cell Transformation”,Experimental Cell Research260:257-267 (2000).
Kowles et al., “Endosperm Development in Maize”,International Review of Cytology112:97-136 (1988).
E. Morgan, “A region of SV40 Large T antigen can substitute for a transforming domain of the adenovirus E1A products”, Nature 334:168-170 (1988).
Egelkrout et al., “Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen Transcription is Repressed Through and E2F Consensus Element and Activated by Geminivirus Infection in Mature Leaves”,The Plant Cell13:1437-1452 (2001).
Hanley-Bowdoin et al., “Expression of functional replication protein from tomato golden mosaic virus in transonic tobacco plants”,Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA87:1446-1450 (1990).
Moran, Elizabeth, “Interaction of adenoviral proteins with pRB
Burnett Ronald
Dilkes Brian R.
Gordon-Kamm William J.
Gregory Carolyn A.
Hoerster George J.
Collins Cynthia
McElwain Elizabeth F.
Pioneer Hi-Bred International , Inc.
Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc.
LandOfFree
Methods of using viral replicase polynucleotides and... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Methods of using viral replicase polynucleotides and..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Methods of using viral replicase polynucleotides and... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3269914