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US
2005/114923
- Earliest priority - 1 Jul 2003
- Filed - 1 Jul 2004
- Published - 26 May 2005
- Granted - not applicable
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Title - Plant biosensor systems
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Claim 1
A nucleic acid construct comprising:
- a gene encoding a product involved in the biosynthesis of a
plant pigment, said gene being operably linked to an
inducible sensor system, wherein the sensor system is
responsive to the presence of a contaminant.
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Claim 26
A transgenic plant cell comprising a
transgene comprising:
- a gene encoding a product involved in the biosynthesis of a plant pigment,
said gene being operably linked to an inducible sensor system, wherein the
sensor system is responsive to the presence of a contaminant.
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Claim 49
A transgenic plant exhibiting a change in color phenotype when exposed to a
contaminant, the transgenic plant comprising a transgene comprising:
- a gene encoding a product involved in the biosynthesis of a plant pigment,
said gene being operably linked to an inducible sensor system which is
responsive to the presence of a contaminant.
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Claim 75
A transgenic plant exhibiting different changes in color phenotype when
exposed to different contaminants, the transgenic plant comprising more than one
transgene, each transgene comprising:
- a gene encoding a product involved in the biosynthesis of a plant pigment,
said gene being operably linked to an inducible sensor system which is
responsive to the presence of a particular contaminant and whose induction by
that particular contaminant is associated with a specific change in color
phenotype.
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Claim 76
A method for preparing a transgenic plant exhibiting a change in color
phenotype when exposed to a contaminant, the method comprising:
1. introducing a nucleic acid construct into a plant cell or protoplast to
obtain a stably transformed plant cell or protoplast, the
construct comprising:
- a gene encoding a product involved in the biosynthesis of a plant pigment,
said gene being operably linked to an inducible sensor system, wherein the
sensor system is responsive to the presence of the contaminant;
2. regenerating a whole plant from the stably transformed plant cell or
protoplast to obtain a transgenic plant comprising a transgene comprising:
- a gene encoding a product involved in the biosynthesis of a plant pigment,
said gene being operably linked to an inducible sensor system, wherein the
sensor system is responsive to the presence of the contaminant; and
3. exposing the transgenic plant to the contaminant.
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Claim 105
A method for detecting the presence of a contaminant in an area, the method
comprising:
1. introducing, in the area to be tested, seeds from a transgenic plant
comprising a transgene comprising:
- a gene encoding a product involved in the biosynthesis of a plant pigment,
said gene being operably linked to an inducible sensor system, wherein the
sensor system is responsive to the presence of the contaminant;
2. growing transgenic plants from the seeds;
3. monitoring the color phenotype of the resulting plants; and
4. determining that the contaminant is present in the area tested if a change
in color phenotype was observed in the resulting plants.
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Claim 131
A method for detecting the presence of contaminants in an area, the method
comprising:
1. introducing, in the area to be tested, seeds from a transgenic plant
comprising more than one transgene, each transgene comprising:
- a gene encoding a product involved in the biosynthesis of a plant pigment,
said gene being operably linked to an inducible sensor system which is
responsive to the presence of a particular contaminant and whose induction by
that particular contaminant is associated with a specific change in color
phenotype;
2. growing transgenic plants from the seeds;
3. monitoring the color phenotype of the resulting plants; and
4. determining that a particular contaminant is present in the area tested if
the associated change in color phenotype was observed in the resulting plants.
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The claims are generally drawn towards:
- a nucleic acid construct comprising a gene encoding a product involved in
the biosynthesis of a plant pigment (claim 1)
- a transgenic plant cell comprising a gene encoding a product involved in the
biosynthesis of a plant pigment (claim 26)
- a transgenic plant exhibiting a change in color phenotype when exposed to a
contaminant (claim 49)
- a transgenic plant exhibiting different changes in color phenotype when
exposed to different contaminants (claim 75)
- a method for preparing a transgenic plant exhibiting a change in color
phenotype when exposed to a contaminant (claim 76)
- a method for detecting the presence of contaminants in an area (claims 105,
131)
Definitions extracted from the description are:
- Nucleic acid product - a polynucleotide or oligonucleotide comprising
nucleic acid sequences not normally associated in nature
- Product - a gene product (e.g., primary transcript, mRNA, pre-protein,
protein, or higher order complex)
- Operably linked - a relationship between two nucleic acid sequences wherein
the expression of one of the nucleic acid sequences is controlled by, regulated
by or modulated by the other nucleic acid sequence
- (Inducible) sensor system - a polynucleotide which is, in some manner,
dependent upon an external stimulus (such as the presence of a contaminant) in
order to actively transcribe and/or translate a gene to which it is operably
linked
- Contaminant - any compound, molecule, agent or entity whose presence and/or
level in an area or environment is to be detected
- Transgene - an exogenous gene which, when introduced into a host cell
through the hand of man, for example, using a process such as transformation,
electroporation, particle bombardment, and the like, is expressed by the host
cell and integrated into the cell's DNA such that the trait or traits produced
by the expression of the transgene is inherited by the progeny of the
transformed cell
- Plant - can refer to a whole plant, plant parts (e.g., cuttings, tubers,
pollen), plant organs (e.g., leaves, stems, flowers, roots, fruits, branches,
etc.), individual plant cells, groups of plant cells (e.g., cultured plant
cells), protoplasts, plant extracts, seeds, and progeny thereof.
- Stably transformed - a cell, callus or protoplast in which an inserted
exogenous nucleic acid molecule is capable of replication either as an
autonomously replicating plasmid or as part of the host chromosome
- Area - not specified in the description, other than that the contaminant may
be present in the air, in water or in a soil.
Comments:
Since this is a published application and not a granted patent, currently
there are no enforceable rights.
Four examples provided in the specification are:
- Transgenic Plants For the Detection of Volatile Organic Compounds - method
to identify and validate genes that are up-regulated in plants exposed to
benzene and formaldehyde (no results provided).
- Identification of Genes Up-Regulated by Heavy Metals - method to identify
and validate genes that are up-regulated in plants exposed to one or more of the
metals, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, mercury, nickel, lead, selenium and
zinc (no results provided).
- Generation of Transgenic Plants for Heavy Metal Detection - method to
generate transgenic Arabidopsis and Maize containing
BjMTP1 promoter::GFP or BjMTP1 promoter::anthocyanin regulatory
gene B (no results on tests for anthocyanin accumulation in the transgenic
plants exposed to heavy metals).
- Transgenic Plants as Biomarkers for Heavy Metals in Drinking Water - method
to detect BjMTP mRNA expression in Brassica juncea seedlings exposed to
arsenic, cadmium, and lead in water (no results provided).
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Edenspace Systems Corporation
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Dulles, VA, 20151-1131
Toll-free +1-877-961-8777
Tel +1-703-961-8700
Fax +1-703-961-8939
University of Arizona
(THE ARIZONA BOARD OF REGENTS)
Office of Technology Transfer
888 N. EUCLID AVENUE, PO BOX 210158
OTT, ROOM 204
TUCSON, ARIZONA 85721-0158
The following two contacts for licensing were listed in the contact
information site:
Dubuque, Suzanne, PhD
Licensing Associate / Life Sciences
(520) 626-1213
sdubuque@ott.arizona.edu
Trammell, Mary Louise "Mike", PhD
Senior Licensing Associate / Life Sciences
(520) 626-7916
trammell@email.arizona.edu
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