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Carnations

Summary

In a European application and a United States granted patent, the invention claimed by Florigene Europe is directed to

  • a method for transforming carnation plant material with A. tumefaciens or A. rhizogenes. The material to be transformed encompasses any explant of a carnation plant and in certain methods specifically leaves from shoots grown in culture.
  • methods for producing genetically altered carnation plants. A method for micropropagating shoots from initially propagated vitrified shoots is also covered.
  • methods to alter the normal phenotype of carnation plants. The characteristics included are prolonged vase life, resistance to a herbicide and modification of color.

Carnations – Patent application filed by Florigene Europe B.V.

Specific Patent Information

Patent Number
 Title, Independent Claims and Summary of Claims
 Assignee
WO 1992/017056 A1

  • Earliest priority – 1 April 1991
  • Filed – 31 March 1992
  • OPI – 15 October 1992
 Title – Carnation plants and methods for their transformation and propagation

Claim 1
A method for genetically transforming carnation plant material, said method comprising:A) co-cultivating carnation plant material with Agrobacterium cells carrying an exogenous DNA sequence;
B) initiating callus formation in the plant material; and
C) selecting transformed plant cells.
Claim 5
A method for producing genetically altered carnation plants, said method comprising:A) co-cultivation of carnation plant material with Agrobacterium cells carrying an exogenous DNA sequence including a selectable marker gene in a co-cultivation medium containing nutrients, an energy source, and an induction compound under conditions which allow the Agrobacterium cells to infect the plant material and transfer the exogenous DNA to the carnation chromosomes;
B) culturing plant material from step (A) in a callus initiation medium containing nutrients, an energy source, an auxin, a cytokinin, an anti-Agrobacterium antibiotic, and a plant selection agent which inhibits callus and shoot formation from plant material which does not express the selectable marker gene to produce transformed callus material; and
C) culturing transformed callus material in a regeneration medium containing nutrients, an energy source, an auxin, a cytokinin, an anti-Agrobacterium antibiotic, and the plant selection agent, present in amounts effective to produce transformed shoots.
Claim 23

A method for micropropagating shoots from carnation plant material, said method comprising:

A) culturing carnation plant material to produce a plurality of shoots; and
B) placing vitrified shoots from step (A) in a normalizing medium containing nutrients and an energy source but being substantially free from growth regulators, whereby new shoots are produced which are free from vitrification.
Claim 26

A method for micropropagating shoots from previously established carnation shoots, said method comprising:

A) separating individual shoots; and
B) culturing individual shoots in a multiplication medium comprising nutrients, an energy source, growth regulators and a solidifying agent for a time sufficient to produce at least about 50 shoots for each individual shoot cultured.
Claim 27

A method for regenerating carnation plants, said method comprising: culturing carnation plant material on a regeneration medium containing nutrients, an energy source, a solidifying agent, indole butyric acid at a concentration in the range from about 1 to 5 M, and thidiazuron at a concentration in the range from about 0.5 to 2 M, whereby shoots are produced at a regeneration frequency above about 20 percent.
Claim 28Carnation callus material which expresses an exogenous DNA sequence.
Claim 30
A carnation plant having cells which express an exogenous DNA sequence.

The claims of the PCT application recite transformation of carnation plant material with Agrobacterium. There is no mention of the plant material used for transformation. Methods for shoot formation and rooting as well as a method for whole plant regeneration are recited in the claims.

Florigene Europe B.V.
Remarks National phase entry of WO 1992/017056 in Europe (EP 582603) is deemed to be withdrawn on 16 April 2003.

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

Carnations – Patent granted to Florigene Europe B.V.

Specific Patent Information

Patent Number Title, Independent Claims and Summary of Claims Assignee
US 5589613 A

  • Earliest priority – 1 April 1991
  • Filed – 10 November 1993
  • Granted – 31 December 1996
  • Expected expiry – 30 December 2016
 Title – Carnation plants and methods for their transformation and propagation

Claim 1
A method for genetically transforming carnation plant material, said method comprising:A) co-cultivating carnation plant material with Agrobacterium tumefaciens or rhizogenes cells carrying an exogenous DNA sequence;
B) initiating callus formation in the plant material; and
C) selecting transformed plant cells.
Claim 5A method for producing genetically altered carnation plants, said method comprising:

A) co-cultivation of carnation plant material with Agrobacterium tumefaciens or rhizogenes cells carrying an exogenous DNA sequence including a selectable marker gene in a co-cultivation medium containing nutrients, an energy source, and an induction compound under conditions which allow the Agrobacterium cells to infect the plant material and transfer the exogenous DNA to the carnation chromosomes, wherein the carnation plant material is leaf obtained from shoots grown in culture;
B) culturing plant material from step (A) in a callus initiation medium containing nutrients, an energy source, an auxin, a cytokinin, an anti-Agrobacterium antibiotic, and a plant selection agent which inhibits callus and shoot formation from plant material which does not express the selectable marker gene to produce transformed callus material; and
C) culturing transformed callus material in a regeneration medium containing nutrients, an energy source, an auxin, a cytokinin, an anti-Agrobacterium antibiotic, and the plant selection agent, present in amounts effective to produce transformed shoots.
Claim 22

A method for micropropagating shoots from transformed carnation plant material, said method comprising:

A) culturing transformed carnation plant material obtained from callus to produce a plurality of vitrified shoots; and
B) placing vitrified shoots from step (A) in a medium containing nutrients and an energy source but being substantially free from growth regulators for a period of at least about one month, whereby new shoots are produced which are free from vitrification.
Claim 24Carnation callus material derived from an explant material which has been transformed with an exogenous DNA sequence, wherein said DNA sequence comprises a functional gene capable of imparting a phenotype not possessed by the explant material and wherein said DNA sequence has been integrated into the carnation genome.
Claim 26
A carnation plant having cells derived from an explant material which have been transformed with an exogenous DNA sequence, wherein said DNA sequence comprises a functional gene capable of imparting a phenotype not possessed by the explant material and wherein said DNA sequence has been integrated into the carnation genome.
Claim 28
A carnation plant having cells derived from an explant material which have been transformed with an exogenous DNA sequence so that flowers of the plant display a phenotype characterized by controlled senescence resulting in prolonged vase life relative to the vase life of flowers from plants propagated from non-transformed cells of the explant material.
Claim 29A transgenic carnation plant derived from an explant material comprising an exogenous DNA sequence so that flowers of the plant display a phenotype charac terized by controlled senescence resulting in prolonged vase life relative to the vase life of flowers from plants propagated from non-transformed cells of the explant material.
Claim 31A carnation plant having cells derived from an explant material which have been transformed with an exogenous DNA sequence to display a phenotype characterized by resistance to a herbicide.
Claim 32A transgenic carnation plant derived from an explant material comprising an exogenous DNA sequence to display a phenotype characterized by resistance to a herbicide.
Claim 34A carnation plant having cells derived from an explant material which have been transformed with an exogenous DNA sequence so that flowers of the plant display a phenotype characterized by a color conferred by said exogenous DNA sequence which color is modified relative to a flower color of the explant material.
Claim 35A transgenic carnation plant derived from an explant material comprising an exogenous DNA sequence so that flowers of the plant display a phenotype characterized by a modified color conferred by said exogenous DNA sequence which color is modified relative to a flower color of the explant material.
Claim 37A carnation plant derived from an explant material having cells which have been transformed with an exogenous DNA sequence to display a phenotype characterized by enhanced resistance to disease relative to the disease resistance of plants propagated from non-transformed cells of the explant material.
Claim 38A transgenic carnation plant derived from an explant material comprising an exogenous DNA sequence to display a phenotype characterized by enhanced resistance to disease relative to the disease resistance of plants propagated from non-transformed cells of the explant material.
Claim 40A carnation plant having cells which have been transformed with the ACC synthase gene.
Claim 41
A carnation plant having cells which have been transformed with a chlorsulfuron resistance gene.

Transformation of carnation plant material with A. tumefaciens or A. rhizogenes carrying a gene of interest. Carnation leaves are transformed to alter the phenotype of the plants. A controlled senescence, resistance to a herbicide, resistance to diseases, and alteration of color are part of the desirable characters introduced into the plants via Agrobacterium transformation.

 Florigene Europe B.V.

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