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Banana

Summary

Banana is the first of the particular monocot plants presented in this section. Some of the patents discussed here refer to the genus Musa, to which banana and plantain belong.

The inventions assigned to Texas A&M University disclose transformation of a wounded meristematic tissue from a Musa plant with A. tumefaciens carrying an engineered T-DNA plasmid. Embryogenic material of banana transformed with Agrobacterium containing a gene of interest is disclosed by a United States patent and a European application assigned to Zeneca & DNA Plant Technology Corp.

The most limiting factors in the claims of these inventions are:

  • the use of a wounded meristematic tissue of a Musa plant (Texas A & M University),
  • the additional application of microbombardment to the already wounded meristematic Musa tissue (claimed in the Australian and European patents granted to Texas A & M University) and
  • the use of embryogenic material of banana (Australian patent granted to Syngenta and DNA Plant Technology Corporation) and embryogenic material from banana inflorescences (United States patent granted to Zeneca & DNA Plant Technology Corp.).

Banana (Musa) – Specific Patent Information

Patent Number Title, Independent Claims and Summary of Claims Assignee
US 5792935

  • Earliest priority – 9 December 1993
  • Filed – 9 December 1994
  • Granted – 11 August 1998
  • Expected expiry – 10 August 2015
 Title – Agrobacterium tumefaciens transformation of Musa species

Claim 1A method for transforming a Musa plant, said method comprising:

A) wounding meristematic tissue from a Musa plant to generate a wounded Musa plant tissue and to facilitate access of Agrobacterium tumefaciens to Musa plant cells competent for transformation and regeneration; and
B) applying to said wounded Musa plant tissue at least one transformation competent Agrobacterium tumefaciens to transform said Musaplant, wherein said at least one transformation competent Agrobacterium tumefaciens harbors at least one Ti plasmid and at least one virulence gene, wherein said at least one Ti plasmid comprises at least one genetically engineered T-DNA to effect transformation of said Musa plant.

Transformation of an apical or adventitious meristem of a Musa plant by wounding the tissue and inserting A. tumefaciens carrying a T-DNA with foreign DNA. The plant can be transformed for the production of pharmaceutical products or the alteration of phenotypic traits of the fruit.

Texas A & M University
AU 693506 B2

  • Earliest priority – 9 December 1993
  • Filed – 9 December 1994
  • Granted – 2 July 1998
  • Expected expiry – 8 December 2014
 Title – Agrobacterium tumefaciens transformation of Musa species

Claim 1A method for transforming a Musa plant, said method including:

A) wounding meristematic tissue from a Musa plant, followed by bombarding the said wounded tissue with microparticles, to generate a wounded Musa plant tissue and to facilitate access of Agrobacterium tumefaciens to Musa plant cells competent for transformation and regeneration; and
B) applying to said wounded Musa plant tissue at least one transformation competent Agrobacterium tumefaciens to transform said Musaplant, wherein said at least one transformation competent Agr obacterium tumefaciens harbors at least one Ti plasmid and at least one virulence gene, wherein said at least one Ti plasmid includes at least one genetically engineered T-DNA to effect transformation of said Musaplant.

Microbombardment of wounded meristematic tissue of a Musa plant to facilitate A. tumefaciens infection. The transformation method is used to obtain Musa plants producing pharmaceutical products and fruits with improved phenotypic traits.
EP 731632 B1

  • Earliest priority – 9 December 1993
  • Filed – 9 December 1994
  • Granted – 7 November 2001
  • Expected expiry – 8 December 2014
 Title – Agrobacterium tumefaciens transformation of Musa species

Claim 1A method for transforming a Musa plant, said method comprising:

A) pre-wounding the meristematic tissue from a Musa plant prior to bombarding said plant with microparticles;
B) wounding the pre-wounded meristematic tissue by microparticle bombardment to generate a wounded Musa plant tissue and to facilitate access of Agrobacterium tumefaciens to Musa plant cells competent for transformation and regeneration; and
B) applying to said wounded Musa plant tissue at least one transformation competent Agrobacterium tumefaciens to transform said Musaplant, wherein said at least one transformation competent Agrobacterium tumefaciens harbors at least one Ti plasmid and at least one virulence gene, wherein said at least one Ti plasmid comprises at least one genetically engineered T-DNA to effect transformation of saidMusa plant.

Designated contracting States at the time of grant are: Austria, Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Greece (reported on INPADOC as lapsed), Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden.

A method for transforming a Musa meristematic tissue similar to the method disclosed in the related Australian patent. The tissue is wounded prior to the wounding by microbombardment. Double wounding of the tissue facilitates access of A. tumefaciens to Musa plant cells.
The claims as filed of the EP application had disclosed a single wounding step by microbombardment. The granted claims are more limiting as a prior wounding step is part of the method.
CA 2177267 A

 

  • Earliest priority – 9 December 1993
  • Filed – 9 December 1994
  • Granted – 28 September 2004
  • Expected expiry – 8 December 2014
 Title – Agrobacterium tumefaciens transformation of Musa species

Claim 1A method for transforming a Musa plant, said method comprising:

A) wounding meristematic tissue from a Musa plant by microparticle bombardment to generate a wounded Musa plant tissue and to facilitate access of Agrobacterium tumefaciens to Musa plant cells competent for transformation and regeneration; and
B) applying to said wounded Musa plant tissue at least one transformation competent Agrobacterium tumefaciens to transform said Musaplant, wherein said at least one transformation competent Agrobacterium tumefaciens harbors at least one Ti plasmid and at least one virulence gene, wherein said at least one Ti plasmid comprises at least one genetically engineered T-DNA to effect transformation of said Musa plant.

Claims as filed are similar to the Australian patent but a single step of wounding of the Musa tissue by microbombardment prior to the transformation with A. tumefaciens is disclosed.
EP 1087016 A2

  • Earliest priority – 9 December 1993
  • Filed – 9 December 1994
  • Deemed to be withdrawn – 10 August 2005
 Title – Agrobacterium tumefaciens transformation of Musa species

Claim 1
A method for transforming a Musa plant, said method comprising:A) wounding meristematic tissue from a Musa plant by microparticle bombardment to generate a wounded Musa plant tissue and to facilitate access of Agrobacterium tumefaciens to Musa plant cells competent for transformation and regeneration; and
B) applying to said wounded Musa plant tissue at least one transformation competent Agrobacterium tumefaciens to transform said Musaplant, wherein said at least one transformation competent Agrobacterium tumefaciens harbors at least one Ti plasmid and at least one virulence gene, wherein said at least one Ti plasmid comprises at least one genetically engineered T-DNA to effect transformation of said Musa plant;
C) growing said transformed Musa plant for a sufficient time to identify the presence of chimeric features;
D) producing non-chimeric tissue by dividing said transformed Musa plant into segments which have at least one meristem which can regenerate into an intact plant and which have cells that are uniformily transformed to produce non-chimeric tissue; and
E) growing said non-chimeric tissue into a non-chimeric plant.

This application was a divisional application to the application EP 731632 A1. Microbombardment is also used to wound a meristematic tissue of a Musa plant prior to the transformation with A. tumefaciens. In addition, the transformed Musa tissue is grown to identify chimeras and regenerate an intact plant from non-chimeric tissue.

Remarks

 Application filed in Japan (JP 9508786 T2) is deemed to be withdrawn.

Note: Patent information on this page was last updated on 17 February 2006.

Banana (Musa) – Specific Patent Information – part 2

Patent Number Title, Independent Claims and Summary of Claims Assignee
US 6133035

  • Earliest priority – 16 July 1997
  • Filed – 16 July 1997
  • Granted – 17 October 2000
  • Expected expiry – 15 July 2017
 Title – Method of Genetically Transforming Banana Plants

Claim 1A method of producing a transformed banana plant comprising transforming banana embryogenic material from inflorescences with Agrobacterium containing a gene of interest and regenerating a transformed banana plant from the transformed embryogenic material.
Claim 7A method of producing a transformed banana plant comprising transforming a banana somatic embryo from inflorescences with Agrobacterium containing a gene of interest and regenerating a transformed banana plant from the transformed somatic embryo.
Claim 11A method of genetically transforming banana, the method comprising: A) culturing somatic banana plant tissue from inflorescences in a medium to obtain at least one somatic embryo structure or pro-embryo structure;
B) culturing the somatic embryo or pro-embryo structure in a medium to obtain embryogenic material;
C) transforming the embryogenic material with Agrobacterium cells having at least one exogenous DNA sequence to produce transformed embryogenic material;
D) culturing the transformed embryogenic material in a medium to produce at least one transformed somatic embryo; and
E) germinating the transformed somatic embryo in a medium to produce a mature plantlet capable of being transferred to soil conditions.
Claim 19A method of genetically transforming banana, the method comprising:
A) culturing somatic banana plant tissue from inflorescences in a medium to obtain at least one somatic embryo structure or pro-embryo structure;
B) culturing the somatic embryo or pro-embryo structure in a medium to obtain embryogenic material;
C) culturing the embryogenic material in a medium to produce at least one somatic embryo;
D) transforming the somatic embryo produced in step (c) with Agrobacterium cells having at least one exogenous DNA sequence to produce transformed somatic embryos;
E) multiplying the transformed somatic embryo to produce additional transformed somatic embryos; and
F) germinating the transformed somatic embryo to produce a mature plantlet capable of being transferred to soil conditions.

Methods for transformation of embryogenic material from banana inflorescences with Agrobacterium having a gene of interest. Production of plantlets capable of being transferred to soil conditions.

Zeneca & DNA Plant
Technology Corp.

(Zeneca is now Syngenta)
AU 744496 B2

  • Earliest priority – 16 July 1997
  • Filed – 13 July 1998
  • Granted – 28 February 2002
  • Expected expiry – 12 July 2018
 Title – Method of Genetically Transforming Banana Plants

Claim 1A method of producing a transformed banana plant comprising transforming banana embryogenic material with Agrobacteriumcontaining a gene of interest and regenerating a transformed banana plant from the transformed embryogenic material.
Claim 7A method of producing a transformed banana plant comprising transforming a banana somatic embryo with Agrobacteriumcontaining a gene of interest and regenerating a transformed banana plant from the transformed somatic embryo.
Claim 11A method of genetically transforming banana, the method comprising:
A) culturing somatic banana plant tissue in a medium to obtain at least one somatic embryo structure or pro-embryo structure;
B) culturing the somatic embryo or pro-embryo structure in a medium to obtain embryogenic material;
C) transforming the embryogenic material with Agrobacterium cells having at least one exogenous DNA sequence to produce transformed embryogenic material;
D) culturing the transformed embryogenic material in a medium to produce at least one transformed somatic embryo; and
E) germinating the transformed somatic embryo in a medium to produce a mature plantlet capable of being transferred to soil conditions.
Claim 19A method of genetically transforming banana, the method comprising:
A) culturing somatic banana plant tissue in a medium to obtain at least one somatic embryo structure or pro-embryo structure;
B) culturing the somatic embryo or pro-embryo structure in a medium to obtain embryogenic material;
C) culturing the embryogenic material in a medium to produce at least one somatic embryo;
D) transforming the somatic embryo produced in step (c) with Agrobacterium cells having at least one exogenous DNA sequence to produce transformed somatic embryos;
E) multiplying the transformed somatic embryo to produce additional transformed somatic embryos; and
F) germinating the transformed somatic embryo to produce a mature plantlet capable of being transferred to soil conditions.

The invention claimed in Australia is similar to the related United States patent but the embryogenic material is not from a specific part of a banana plant.

Syngenta Ltd. & DNA Plant Technology Corp.
EP 996329 A1

  • Earliest priority – 16 July 1997
  • Filed – 13 July 1998
  • Application pending
 Title – Method of Genetically Transforming Banana Plants

Claim 1A method of producing a transformed banana plant comprising transforming banana embryogenic material with Agrobacteriumcontaining a gene of interest and regenerating a transformed banana plant from the transformed embryogenic material.
Claim 7A method of producing a transformed banana plant comprising transforming a banana somatic embryo with Agrobacteriumcontaining a gene of interest and regenerating a transformed banana plant from the transformed somatic embryo.
Claim 11A method of genetically transforming banana, the method comprising:

A) culturing somatic banana plant tissue in a medium to obtain at least one somatic embryo structure or pro-embryo structure;
B) culturing the somatic embryo or pro-embryo structure in a medium to obtain embryogenic material;
C) transforming the embryogenic material with Agrobacterium cells having at least one exogenous DNA sequence to produced transformed embryogenic material;
D) culturing the transformed embryogenic material in a medium to produce at least one transformed somatic embryo; and
E) germinating the transformed somatic embryo in a medium to produce a mature plantlet capable of being transferred to soil conditions.
Claim 19A method of genetically transforming banana, the method comprising:

A) culturing somatic banana plant tissue in a medium to obtain at least one somatic embryo structure or pro-embryo structure;
B) culturing the somatic embryo or pro-embryo structure in a medium to obtain embryogenic material;
C) culturing the embryogenic material in a medium to produce at least one somatic embryo;
D) transforming the somatic embryo produced in step (C) with
Agrobacterium cells having at least one exogenous DNA sequence to produce transformed somatic embryos;
E) multiplying the transformed somatic embryo to produce additional transformed somatic embryos; and
F) germinating the transformed somatic embryo to produce a mature plantlet capable of being transferred to soil conditions.

The claims as filed in the European application recite the same as the claims granted in the United States patent US 6133035 with the exception of claim 7, where a banana somatic embryo is not limited to an embryo derived from an inflorescence.

Transformation of somatic embryos of banana with Agrobacterium having a gene of interest. Multiplication of transformed somatic embryos and production of plantlets capable of being transferred to soil conditions.
Remarks National phase entry of WO 1999/03327 in Japan (JP 2001510021 T2) is still pending.

Note: Patent information on this page was last updated on 14 February 2006.