Positive selection with other modes of action
BASF Plant Science GmbH and SweTree Technologies AB jointly own an European patent on methods for selecting transformed plants with D-amino acids.
Technology overview
Among the amino acids used as building blocks for proteins, all but one (glycine) can be found in two isomeric forms which are distinguished by their ability to rotate polarised light. The form found in largest quantities in nature rotates light to the left and is termed L- or levorotatory, while the less common form is termed D- or dextrorotatory.
Whilst D-amino acids are found in nature, they are present only at very low concentrations and only in specific compounds as cell wall proteins in bacteria. Although plant amino acid transporters mediate transport of both D- and L-forms of amino acids, plants lack the necessary enzymes to convert D-amino acids into nitrogen forms that can be used in synthetic reactions inside the plant. Normal plants cannot therefore use D-amino acids as a source of nitrogen.
Generally, only a single D-amino acid metabolising enzyme is needed to convert the D-amino acid into compounds that can participate in the usual plant pathways of nitrogen metabolism. Therefore, by introducing a bacterial gene, such as the gene coding for the enzyme D-serine dehydratase or the gene coding for D-amino acid oxidases, into plant cells, nitrogen that is otherwise inaccessibly bound in D-amino acids can thus be converted enzymatically into forms that can be readily utilised by the transgenic plant.
Specific Patent information
| Patent/Application Number |
Title, Independent Claims and Summary |
Assignee | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Title - Selective plant growth using d-amino acids
|
BASF Plant Science GmbH & SweTree Technologies AB |
|||||
|
Title - Selective plant growth using d-amino acids
|
||||||
|
Remarks |
Patent applications were also filed in Australia (AU 2003235629), Canada (CA 2471517 AA), New Zealand (NZ 534469), China (CN 1620506 A), Japan (JP 2005514069) and Israel (IL 162644 A0). The PCT application is WO 2003/060133. |
Search strategy
|
Search details |
|
|---|---|
|
Date of search |
09/06/2006 |
|
Database searched |
Patent Lens |
|
Type of search |
Expert, stemming off |
|
Collections searched |
AU-B, US-A, US-B, EP-B, WO |
|
Search terms |
(growth near/5 support) AND (plant near/5 growth) AND ((transformed near/2 cell) in claims) |
|
Results |
56 hits |
|
Comments |
The following new doc is relevant to positive selection: US 2005/76409: Selective plant growth using d-amino acids; by BASF |
The information contained in this page was believed to be correct at the time it was collated. New patents and patent applications, altered status of patents, and case law may have resulted in changes in the landscape. CAMBIA makes no warranty that it is correct or up to date at this time and accepts no liability for any use that might be made of it. Corrections or updates to the information are welcome. Please send an email to info@bios.net.
There are no comments.