Elizabeth Z Mckinney

US Patent:

7667096, Feb 23, 2010

Filed:

Jun 3, 2004

Appl. No.:

10/559301

Inventors:

Richard B. Meagher - Athens GA, US
Elizabeth McKinney - Athens GA, US
Tehryung Kim - Taejeon, KR

Assignee:

University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc. - Athens GA

International Classification:

C12N 15/82
C12N 15/54
A01H 1/02
A01H 5/00

US Classification:

800286, 800271, 800274, 800287, 800303, 800306, 800317, 800319, 800320, 800285, 435194

Abstract:

The present disclosure provides methods, recombinant DNA molecules, recombinant host cells containing the DNA molecules, and transgenic plant cells, plant tissue and plants which contain and express at least one antisense or interference RNA specific for a thiamine biosynthetic coding sequence or a thiamine binding protein or a thiamine-degrading protein, wherein the RNA or thiamine binding protein is expressed under the regulatory control of a transcription regulatory sequence which directs expression in male and/or female reproductive tissue. These transgenic plants are conditionally sterile; i. e. , they are fertile only in the presence of exogenous thiamine. Such plants are especially appropriate for use in the seed industry or in the environment, for example, for use in revegetation of contaminated soils or phytoremediation, especially when those transgenic plants also contain and express one or more chimeric genes which confer resistance to contaminants.

US Patent:

20050216976, Sep 29, 2005

Filed:

Jan 18, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/038900

Inventors:

Richard Meagher - Athens GA, US
Rebecca Balish - Oxford OH, US
Elizabeth McKinney - Athens GA, US

International Classification:

A01H001/00
C12N015/82
A01H005/00
A01H007/00

US Classification:

800286000, 800317000, 800319000, 435468000

Abstract:

Plant tissue specific gene expression by way of repressor-operator complexes, has enabled outcomes including, without limitation, male sterility and engineered plants having root-specific gene expression of relevant proteins to clean environmental pollutants from soil and water. A mercury hyperaccumulation strategy requires that mercuric ion reductase coding sequence is strongly expressed. The actin promoter vector, A2pot, engineered to contain bacterial lac operator sequences, directed strong expression in all plant vegetative organs and tissues. In contrast, the expression from the A2pot construct was restricted primarily to root tissues when a modified bacterial repressor (Lacln) was coexpressed from the light-regulated rubisco small subunit promoter in above-ground tissues. Also provided are analogous repressor operator complexes for selective expression in other plant tissues, for example, to produce male sterile plants.