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Patents granted to Leiden University & Schilperoort

Disclosing binary vector systems, the following patents use an Agrobacterium having either the T-region or the vir region integrated in the chromosome of the bacterium. The target plants are dicots and monocot plants from the families Amaryllidaceae (e.g., onion, garlic) and Liliaceae (e.g., asparagus).

Specific Patent Information

Patent Number Title, Independent Claims and Summary of Claims Assignee
US 5149645

  • Earliest priority – 4 June 1984
  • Filed – 5 December 1989
  • Granted – 22 September 1992
  • Expected expiry – 4 December 2009
 Title – Process for introducing foreign DNA into the genome of plants

Claim 1

Agrobacteria comprising a T-region and a vir-region in their DNA, the T-region being stably integrated into the bacterial chromosome.
Claim 2

Agrobacteria comprising a T-region and a vir-region in their DNA, the vir-region being stably integrated into the bacterial chromosome.
Claim 3

A process for the transfer of recombinant DNA into the cells or protoplasts of plants selected from the group consisting of dicotyledonous plants and monocotyledonous plants of the families Liliaceae and Amaryllidaceae, said process comprising infecting the plants or plant cells, or incubating protoplasts from the plants, with Agrobacterium bacteria which contain in their genetic material a vir-region from the Ti plasmid of Agrobacterium and at least one T-region, wherein said T-region comprises said recombinant DNA flanked on both sides by border sequences as present in wild-type of Agrobacterium, and wherein said vir-region is integrated into the chromosome of said Agrobacterium bacteria prior to said infecting or incubating step.
Claim 5

A process for the transfer of recombinant DNA into the cells or protoplasts of plants selected from the group consisting of dicotyledonous plants and monocotyledonous plants of the families Liliaceae and Amaryllidaceae, said process comprising infecting the plants or plant cells, or incubating protoplasts from the plants, with Agrobacterium bacteria which contain in their genetic material a vir-region from the Ti plasmid of Agrobacterium and at least one T-region, wherein said T-region comprises said recombinant DNA flanked on both sides by border sequences as present in wild-type T-region of Agrobacterium, and wherein each of said T-region is integrated into the chromosome of said Agrobacterium bacteria prior to said infecting or incubating step.

The United States patent 5 149 645 claims:

  • Agrobacterium having either a T-region or a vir region as part of the chromosome of the bacterium and further containing a T-region orvir region, respectively, as part of the Agrobacterium‘s DNA.  The claims to Agrobacterium don’t exclude both the T-region and vir region being part of the bacterial chromosome.
  • a process to transfer recombinant DNA that is part of a T-region in Agrobacterium into dicot cells and monocot cells of the familiesAmaryllidaceae and Liliaceae.
  • process claims require that the border sequences flanking the T-region/recombinant DNA are as present in wild-type Agrobacteriumand so mutated sequences that nevertheless could function as border sequences might be outside of the scope of the claims in the US.

Leiden University and Schilperoort
EP 176112

  • Earliest priority – 4 June 1984
  • Filed – 3 June 1985
  • Granted – 16 May 1990
  • Expected expiry – 2 June 2005
 Title – Process for introducing foreign DNA into the genome of plants

Claim 1

A process for the incorporation of foreign DNA into the genome of plants by infecting the plants or by incubating plant protoplasts withAgrobacterium bacteria, characterized in that Agrobacterium bacteria are used, which contain in their chromosome at least one T-region or a vir-region or both, on the understanding that in the first two cases the bacteria contain a plasmid comprising a vir-region or a T-region resp.
Claim 4

Agrobacterium bacteria containing in their chromosomes at least one T-region or a vir-region or both.

Designated States at the time of grant are: Austria (lapsed as reported by EPO), Belgium, Switzerland (lapsed as reported by EPO), Germany, France, United Kingdom (expired as reported by INPADOC), Italy, Liechtenstein (lapsed as reported by EPO), Luxembourg (lapsed as reported by EPO), Netherlands (lapsed as reported by INPADOC), Sweden (lapsed as reported by INPADOC)

In the European patent EP 176 112 B1, claims recite:

  • either a T-region or a vir region or both integrated into genome of Agrobacterium;
  • A process for transforming plants (any type) – wild-type T border sequences are not required in the broadest claim.
Remarks Related patent granted in Japan (JP 2006294, term expired as reported by the Japan Patent Office).

Note: Patent information on this page was last updated on 24 February 2006.