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Sugar beet

Summary

The invention claimed by Biosem in a granted European patent is directed to the transformation of callus of sugar beet by contacting the calli with Agrobacterium having a vector with a gene of interest. The transformation process takes place in a liquid culture medium.

A transgenic sugar beet plant resistant to the sugar beet necrotic yellow vein virus is also part of the disclosed invention. A cDNA or genomic fragment conferring resistance to this virus is specifically limited to a certain nucleotide sequence that encodes at least part of the protein responsible for the resistance.

Monsanto has recently filed applications in Australia, United States and a PCT application related to a method for transforming a sugar beet leaf with Agrobacterium. The transformed leaf is initially derived from a selected region of a sugar beet seedling.

The following table presents basic bibliographic data and a summary of the inventions. Full text of the granted European patent and the PCT application can be accessed as PDF.

Sugar beet
Assigned to Biosem
Issued patents
Patent No. Issue date Summary of the claims
EP 517833 B1 November 2, 1995 Method for transforming calli of sugar beet by contacting a suspension of them with Agrobacterium having a vector with a gene to be introduced into the plant cells. The gene of interest confers resistance to the infection caused by the sugar beet necrotic yellow vein virus.
Remarks: Granted French patent FR 2658987 B1 is not analyzed.
Assigned to Monsanto
Applications
Application No. Publication date Summary of the claims
WO 01/42480 A2* June 14, 2001 A method for preparing transgenic sugar beet cells by selecting part of the cotyledon and hypocotyl region of a sugar beet seedling and micropropagating this part to form a shoot, from which a leaf is selected and put in contact withAgrobacterium cells. The Agrobacterium cells contain a vector with an exogenous gene. Transgenic sugar beet plants capable of expressing the exogenous gene are also recited in the claims.
US 2001/42257 A1*

 

 November 15, 2001 The filed claims are worded the same as the claims of the related PCT patent application.
Remarks: A related application was also filed in Australia (AU 200125757 A5).

*It is important to remember that applications are not issued patents and the claims as filed have not been approved by any country. Thus, they are non-binding.

Sugar beet – Patent granted to Biosem

Specific Patent Information

Patent Number Title, Independent Claims and Summary of Claims Assignee
EP 517833 B1

  • Earliest priority – 2 March 1990
  • Filed – 1 March 1991
  • Granted – 2 November 1995
  • Expected expiry – 1 March 2011
 Title – Regeneration and genetic transformation of sugarbeet

Claim 1Method for transforming plant cells belonging to species Beta vulgaris, characterized in that it comprises the bringing into contact of the dispersion of friable white calluses in a liquid plant cell culture medium containing 0 to about 3.0 mg/liter of the cytokinin, or of a suspension of friable white calluses in a liquid plant cell culture medium containing about 0.1 to about 3.0 mg/liter of the cytokinin, with Agrobacteriumcontaining a vector carrying a gene intending to be introduced into the plant cells, following by co-culturing the plant cells and the bacteria in order to give rise to transformed friable calluses.
Claim 21Transgenic plant belonging to the Beta vulgaris species and resistance to infection by the sugar beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV), the said plant being transformed in a stable manner by a nucleic acid fragment whose expression product is capable of conferring the said resistance, the said fragment being derived from the 5′ end of genomic or subgenomic RNA2 of BNYVV, or from the corresponding cDNA, this fragment encoding at least a portion of the proteins encoded by nucleotides 145 to 3285 of the wild type sequence of RNA2, and being under the control of a promoter allowing the expression of the fragment in the plant cells and being in this sense or antisense orientation.

Granted European patent EP 517833 is a national phase  entry of WO 1991/13159 (publication in French).

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

Method for transforming calli of sugar beet by contacting a suspension of them with Agrobacterium having a vector with a gene to be introduced into the plant cells. The gene of interest confers resistance to the infection caused by the sugar beet necrotic yellow vein virus.

Biosem
Remarks Related patent granted in France (FR 2658987) on 14 April 1995.

Note: Patent information on this page was last updated on 27 March 2006.

Sugar beet – Patent applications filed by Monsanto

Patent Number Title, Independent Claims and Summary of Claims Assignee
WO 2001/42480 A2

  • Earliest priority – 7 December 1999
  • Filed – 6 December 2000
  • OPI – 14 June 2001
 Title – Sugarbeet regeneration and transformation

Claim 1A method for the preparation of transgenic sugarbeet cells, the method comprising:

A) selecting a sugarbeet seedling, the seedling comprising a cotyledon region and a hypocotyl region;
B) removing the cotyledon region and upper half of the hypocotyl region from the seedling;
C) contacting the cotyledon region and upper half of the hypocotyl region with micropropagation media to form a micropropagated shoot, the micropropagated shoot comprising at least one leaf or portion thereof comprising a leaf base;
D) removing a leaf from the micropropagated shoot at the leaf base; and
E) contacting the leaf at the leaf base with Agrobacteria in a manner forming a tissue comprising a transgenic sugarbeet cell, capable of expressing an exogenous structural nucleic acid sequence wherein:
the Agrobacteria comprises a vector; and
the vector comprises operatively linked in the 5′ to 3′ orientation:

  1. a promoter that directs transcription of an exogenous structural nucleic acid sequence;
  2. an exogenous structural nucleic acid sequence; and
  3. a 3′ transcription terminator.
Claim 7A method for the preparation of a transgenic sugarbeet plant, the method comprising:

A) selecting a sugarbeet seedling, the seedling comprising a cotyledon region and a hypocotyl region;
B) removing the cotyledon region and upper half of the hypocotyl region from the seedling;
C) contacting the cotyledon region and upper half of the hypocotyl region with micropropagation media to form a micropropagated shoot, the micropropagated shoot comprising at least one leaf or portion thereof comprising a leaf base;
D) removing a leaf from the micropropagated shoot at the leaf base;
E) contacting the leaf base with Agrobacteria in a manner forming a tissue comprising a transgenic sugarbeet cell;
F) culturing said tissue to form a transgenic shoot;
G) culturing the transgenic shoot to form a transgenic rooted shoot; and
H) growing the transgenic rooted shoot to form a transgenic sugarbeet plant capable of expressing an exogenous structural nucleic acid sequence, wherein:

the Agrobacteria comprise a vector; and
the vector comprises operatively linked in the 5′ to 3′ orientation:

  1. a promoter that directs transcription of an exogenous structural nucleic acid sequence;
  2. an exogenous structural nucleic acid sequence; and
  3. a 3′ transcription terminator.

A method for preparing transgenic sugar beet cells by selecting part of the cotyledon and hypocotyl region of a sugar beet seedling and micropropagating this part to form a shoot, from which a leaf is selected and put in contact with Agrobacterium cells. The Agrobacterium cells contain a vector with an exogenous gene. Transgenic sugar beet plants capable of expressing the exogenous gene are also recited in the claims.

 Monsanto
US 2001/42257 A1

  • Earliest priority – 7 December 1999
  • Filed – 6 December 2000
  • Abandoned – 18 March 2004
 Title – Sugarbeet regeneration and transformation

Claim 1A method for the preparation of transgenic sugarbeet cells, the method comprising:

A) selecting a sugarbeet seedling, the seedling comprising a cotyledon region and a hypocotyl region;
B) removing the cotyledon region and upper half of the hypocotyl region from the seedling;
C) contacting the cotyledon region and upper half of the hypocotyl region with micropropagation media to form a micropropagated shoot, the micropropagated shoot comprising at least one leaf or portion thereof comprising a leaf base;
D) removing a leaf from the micropropagated shoot at the leaf base; and
E) contacting the leaf at the leaf base with Agrobacteria in a manner forming a tissue comprising a transgenic sugarbeet cell, capable of expressing an exogenous structural nucleic acid sequence wherein:
the Agrobacteria comprises a vector; and
the vector comprises operatively linked in the 5′ to 3′ orientation:

  1. a promoter that directs transcription of an exogenous structural nucleic acid sequence;
  2. an exogenous structural nucleic acid sequence; and
  3. a 3′ transcription terminator.
Claim 7A method for the preparation of a transgenic sugarbeet plant, the method comprising:

A) selecting a sugarbeet seedling, the seedling comprising a cotyledon region and a hypocotyl region;
B) removing the cotyledon region and upper half of the hypocotyl region from the seedling;
C) contacting the cotyledon region and upper half of the hypocotyl region with micropropagation media to form a micropropagated shoot, the micropropagated shoot comprising at least one leaf or portion thereof comprising a leaf base;
D) removing a leaf from the micropropagated shoot at the leaf base;
E) contacting the leaf base with Agrobacteria in a manner forming a tissue comprising a transgenic sugarbeet cell;
F) culturing said tissue to form a transgenic shoot;
G) culturing the transgenic shoot to form a transgenic rooted shoot; and
H) growing the transgenic rooted shoot to form a transgenic sugarbeet plant capable of expressing an exogenous structural nucleic acid sequence, wherein:

the Agrobacteria comprise a vector; and
the vector comprises operatively linked in the 5′ to 3′ orientation:

  1. a promoter that directs transcription of an exogenous structural nucleic acid sequence;
  2. an exogenous structural nucleic acid sequence; and
  3. a 3′ transcription terminator.

According to the USPTO, this application has been abandoned due to failure of the applicant to respond to an office action. There are no continuity data reported as yet.

The filed claims are worded the same as the claims of the related PCT patent application.
Remarks
  1. National phase entry of WO 2001/42480 in Australia (AU 2001/25757) and Canada (CA 2395365) have both lapsed (AU 2001/25757 lapsed on 15 August 2002; CA 2395365 lapsed on 6 December 2004).
  2. Other national phase entries of WO 2001/42480 include Czech Republic (CZ 20022139), Poland (PL 356025), Slovakia (SK 200200804),

Note: Patent information on this page was last updated on 28 March 2006.