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Patents on subdomains of the 35S promoter
Patent number Title, Summary of Claims and Independent Claims Assignee
US 5097025

  • Earliest priority – 1 August 1989
  • Filed –  1 December 1989
  • Granted – 12 May 1992
  • Expected expiry – 1 August 2009
 Title – Plant Promoters

Claim elements:

  • Isolated DNA sequences of four of the five subdomains of domain B of the 35S promoter (see diagram).
  • DNA sequences of the combinations of each of the four subdomains B and the domain A of the 35S promoter.
  • DNA sequences of the combinations of each of the four subdomains B and the minimal promoter of the 35S promoter.
Claim 1
An isolated DNA segment consisting of the nucleotide sequence:
5′-CGACCAGCAT CGTGGAAAAA GAAGACGTTC CAACCACGTC TTCAAAGC-3’*.*sequence of subdomain B2 of 35S CaMV promoter.
Claim 2
A DNA sequence consisting of:
a) a first nucleotide sequence 5′-CGAGGAGCAT CGTGGAAAAA GAAGACGTTC CAACCACGTC TTCAAAGC-3’* and
b) a second nucleotide sequence corresponding to domain A of the CaMV 35S promoter coupled to said first nucleotide sequence by means of a synthetic multilinker.*sequence of subdomain B2 of 35S CaMV promoter.
Claim 3
A DNA sequence consisting of:
a) a first nucleotide sequence 5′-CATCGTTGAAG ATGCCTCTGC CGACAGTGGT CCCAAAGATG GACCCCCACC CAC-3’* and
b) a second nucleotide sequence corresponding to domain A of the CaMV35S promoter coupled to said first nucleotide sequence by means of a synthetic multilinker.*sequence of subdomain B3 of 35S CaMV promoter.
Claim 4
A DNA sequence consisting of:
a) a first nucleotide sequence 5′-ATTCC ATTGCCC AGCTATCTGT CACTTTATTG TGAAGATAGT GGAAAAGGAA GGTGGCTCCT ACAAATGCCA TCATTGCGAT AAAGGAAAGG CC-3’* and
b) a second nucleotide sequence corresponding to domain A of the CaMV 35S promoter coupled to said first nucleotide sequence by means of a synthetic multilinker.*sequence of subdomain B4 of 35S CaMV promoter.
Claim 5
A DNA sequence consisting of:
a) a first nucleotide sequence 5′-TGAGACTTTT CAACAAAGGG TAATATCCGG AAACCTCCTC GGATT-3’* and
b) a second nucleotide sequence corresponding to domain A of the CaMV 35S promoter coupled to said first nucleotide sequence by means of a synthetic multilinker.*sequence of subdomain B5 of 35S CaMV 35S promoter.
Claim 6
An isolated DNA segment consisting of the nucleotide sequence:
5′-CATCGTTGAAG ATGCCTCTGC CGACAGTGGT CCCAAAGATG GACCCCCACC CAC-3’*.*sequence of subdomain B3 of 35S CaMV promoter.
Claim 7
An isolated DNA segment consisting of the nucleotide sequence:
5′-ATTCC ATTGCCC AGCTATCTGT CACTTTATTG TGAAGATAGT GGAAAAGGAA GGTGGCTCCT ACAAATGCCA TCATTGCGAT AAAGGAAAGG CC-3’*.*sequence of subdomain B4 of 35S CaMV promoter.
Claim 8
An isolated DNA segment consisting of the nucleotide sequence:
5′-TGAGACTTTT CAACAAAGGG TAATATCCGG AAACCTCCTC GGATT-3’*.*sequence of subdomain B5 of 35S CaMV promoter.
Claim 9
A DNA sequence consisting of:
a) a first nucleotide sequence 5′-CGAGGAGCAT CGTGGAAAAA GAAGACGTTC CAACCACGTC TTCAAAGC-3’* and
b) a second nucleotide sequence corresponding to the minimal promoter region of the CaMV 35S promoter coupled to said first nucleotide sequence by means of a synthetic multilinker.*sequence of subdomain B2 of 35S CaMV promoter.
Claim 10
A DNA sequence consisting of:
a) a first nucleotide sequence 5′-CATCGTTGAAG ATGCCTCTGC CGACAGTGGT CCCAAAGATG GACCCCCACC CAC-3’*
and
b) a second nucleotide sequence corresponding to the minimal promoter region of the CaMV 35S promoter coupled to said first nucleotide sequence by means of a s ynthetic multilinker.*sequence of subdomain B3 of CaMV 35S promoter
Claim 11
A DNA sequence consisting of:
a) a first nucleotide sequence 5′-ATTCC ATTGCCC AGCTATCTGT CACTTTATTG TGAAGATAGT GGAAAAGGAA GGTGGCTCCT ACAAATGCCA TCATTGCGAT AAAGGAAAGG CC-3’* and
b) a second nucleotide sequence corresponding to the minimal promoter region of the CaMV 35S promoter coupled to said first nucleotide sequence by means of a synthetic multilinker.*sequence of subdomain B4 of 35S CaMV promoter
Claim 12
A DNA sequence consisting of:
a) a first nucleotide sequence 5′-TGAGACTTTT CAACAAAGGG TAATATCCGG AAACCTCCTC GGATT-3’* and
b) a second nucleotide sequence corresponding to the minimal promoter region of the CaMV 35S promoter coupled to said first nucleotide sequence by means of a synthetic multilinker.*sequence of subdomain B5 of 35S CaMV promoter

The Rockefeller University
US 5110732

  • Earliest priority – 14 March 1989
  • Filed – 14 March 1989
  • Granted – 5 May 1992
  • Expected expiry – 5 May 2009
 Title – Selective gene expression in plants

Claim elements:

  • a tissue-specific promoter fragment which causes tissue-specific expression in leaves, stems, cotyledons, and vascular tissue of the hypocotyl while causing detectable levels of expression in root vascular tissue when operably coupled directly to a DNA segment corresponding to the -72 to +8 promoter fragment of the Cauliflower Mosaic Virus 35S gene
  • Use of the promoter as generally described above
  • Plants cells and plants containing a chimeric construct in which the promoter as generally described above is operably coupled to a structural gene.
Claim 1
In a method for the expression of a chimeric plant gene, the improvement which comprises the use of a tissue-specific promoter fragment which causes tissue-specific expression in leaves, stems, cotyledons, and vascular tissue of the hypocotyl while causing detectable levels of expression in root vascular tissue when operably coupled directly to a DNA segment corresponding to the -72 to +8 promoter fragment of the Cauliflower Mosaic Virus 35S gene, said tissue-specific promoter fragment having the sequence:5′-TGAGACTTTT CAACAAAGGG TAATATCCGG AAACCTCCTC GGATTCCATT GCCCAGCTAT CTGTCACTTT
ATTGTGAAGA TAGTGGAAAA GGAAGGTGGC TCCTACAAAT GCCATCATTG CGATAAAGGA AAGGCCATCG
TTGAAGATGC CTCTGCCGAC AGTGGTCCCA AAGATGGACC CCCACCCCAC GAGGAGCATC GTGGAAAAAG
AAGACGTTCC AACCACGTCT TCAAAGCAAG TGGATTGATG TGATA-3’*

*sequence corresponds to the complete domain B -from -343 to -90 nucleotides- of the 35S CaMV promoter
Claim 2
A chimeric plant gene comprising in sequence in the 5′ to 3′ direction a tissue-specific promoter fragment consisting essentially of the sequence:5′-TGAGACTTTT CAACAAAGGG TAATATCCGG AAACCTCCTC GGATTCCATT GCCCAGCTAT CTGTCACTTT
ATTGTGAAGA TAGTGGAAAA GGAAGGTGGC TCCTACAAAT GCCATCATTG CGATAAAGGA AAGGCCATCG
TTGAAGATGC CTCTGCCGAC AGTGGTCCCA AAGATGGACC CCCACCCCAC GAGGAGCATC GTGGAAAAAG
AAGACGTTCC AACCACGTCT TCAAAGCAAG TGGATTGATG TGATA-3’*,

operably coupled directly to the -72 to +8 promoter fragment of the CaMV 35S gene, said -72 to +8 promoter fragment operably coupled to a structural gene.

*sequence corresponds to the complete domain B from -343 to -90 nucleotides of the 35S CaMV promoter.
Claim 5
A tissue-specific promoter fragment which functions in plants to cause tissue-specific expression in the leaves, stems, cotyledons and the vascular tissue of the hypocotyl and detachable levels of expression in root vascular tissue operably coupled directly to a DNA segment corresponding to the -72 to +8 promoter fragment of the Cauliflower Mosaic Virus 35S gene, said tissue-specific promoter fragment having the sequence from its 5′ to 3′ termini:5′-TGAGACTTTT CAACAAAGGG TAATATCCGG AAACCTCCTC GGATTCCATT GCCCAGCTAT CTGTCACTTT
ATTGTGAAGA TAGTGGAAAA GGAAGGTGGC TCCTACAAAT GCCATCATTG CGATAAAGGA AAGGCCATCG
TTGAAGATGC CTCTGCCGAC AGTGGTCCCA AAGATGGACC CCCACCCCAC GAGGAGCATC GTGGAAAAAG
AAGACGTTCC AACCACGTCT TCAAAGCAAG TGGATTGATG TGATA-3’*

*sequence corresponds to the complete domain B -from -343 to -90 nucleotides- of the 35S CaMV promoter.

Note: Patent information on this page was last updated on 15 March 2006.

Enforcement of rights

The 35S promoter is one of the most widely used promoters for driving the expression of genes in transgenic plants.

Entities outside the U.S. and Japan using the promoter even without a permit or license from the patent owners do not infringe the patents, because patents are jurisdiction-specific.  However, laboratories in public and private institutes around the world using the promoter as claimed in these patents in their experiments and in products released into the market should bear in mind that unauthorized use or import into the U.S. or Japan could constitute infringement.

While the patent owners have not shown interest in prosecuting academic users of the promoter, they could choose to seek injunctions, damages and royalties for infringing uses, including use in any commercial product.  For instance, Monsanto Company sued DNA Plant Technology Corporation in the U.S. for infringing the U.S patent 5352605 by using the CaMV promoter in making and commercializing hybrid tomatoes with delayed ripening.  Before going out of business, DNA Plant Technology Corporation had to acknowledge the infringement of this patent and also other Monsanto patents, and entered into a confidential legal settlement agreement that provided Monsanto with compensation.