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Light-repressible promoters

Suntory Ltd. (http://www.suntory.com/group/suntory_ltd.html) has patents granted in Australia and New Zealand and pending applications in Europe and Canada. This patent family mainly claims for a promoter of the pra2 gene from pea. Mycogen Plant Sciences (http://www.dowagro.com/mycogen/contact/index.htm)has two granted United States patents regarding methods for the expression and enhancing the level of expression of a structural gene in plants by using a dark- and light-active maize Cab promoter/regulatory system.

Specific Patent Information

Patent Number Title, Independent Claims and Summary of Claims Assignee
AU 765413 B2

  • Earliest priority – 12 March 1999
  • Filed – 3 March 2000
  • granted – 18 September 2003
  • Expected expiry – 3 March 2020
 Title – Photoinhibitory promoter

Claim 1
A DNA fragment containing the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 as a core sequence, whereby expression of a gene placed downstream of said DNA fragment is repressed in the presence of light.
Claim 4
A promoter containing the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 as a core sequence, whereby expression of a gene placed downstream of said promoter is promoted in the dark but repressed in the presence of light.

The claims are drawn to a promoter sequence or a fragment of the promoter sequence whose ability of controlling the expression of a gene placed downstream is promoted in the dark but repressed by light.

The promoter was isolated from a small G protein gene pra2 from pea. The pra2 gene was thought to be involved in the elongation of stems, at the epicotyl, during germination in the dark.

Suntory Ltd.
NZ 508103 B

  • Earliest priority – 12 March 1999
  • Filed – 3 March 2000
  • granted – 28 August 2002
  • Expected expiry – 3 March 2020
 Title – Light-repressible promoters

The claims are exactly the same as AU 765413.

Remarks

 Related patent applications are pending in Europe (EP 1077257 A1) and Canada (CA 2328139 A1).
US 5639952

  • Earliest priority – 5 January 1989
  • Filed – 7 April 1995
  • Granted – 17 June 1997
  • Expected expiry – 17 June 2014
 Title – Dark and light regulated chlorophyll A/B binding protein promoter-regulatory system

Claim 1
A method for the expression of a structural gene in a plant cell under conditions of darkness comprising the steps of:a. transforming said plant cell with a recombinant molecule comprising a plant, dark- and light-active maize Cab promoter/regulatory system, wherein said promoter/regulatory system is the promoter/regulatory system of Cab AB1084 or cross-hybridizes with the promoter/regulatory system of Cab AB1084 under stringent conditions, and a heterologous plant-expressible structural gene that is under the regulatory control of said plant Cab promoter/regulatory system in said plant cell, and

b. maintaining conditions of darkness for expression of said structural gene in said transformed plant cell.
Claim 8
A method for enhancing the level of expression obtained in the dark of a plant-expressible gene in a plant cell by exposing said plant cell to conditions of illumination comprising the steps of:a. transforming said plant cell with a recombinant molecule comprising a plant, dark- and light-active maize Cab promoter/regulatory system, wherein said promoter/regulatory system is the promoter/regulatory system of Cab AB1084 or cross-hybridizes with the promoter/regulatory system of Cab AB1084 under stringent conditions, and a heterologous plant-expressible structural gene that is under the regulatory control of said plant Cab promoter/regulatory system in said plant cell, and

b. maintaining conditions of darkness for expression of said structural gene in said transformed plant cell, and

c. applying conditions of illumination to said transformed plant cell such that enhancement by a factor of about 3- to 6-fold in expression of said structural gene is obtained.
Claim 15
A plant grown from a plant cell, wherein said plant cell is transformed with a recombinant molecule comprising a plant, dark- and light-active maize Cab promoter/regulatory system, wherein said promoter/regulatory system is the promoter/regulatory system of Cab AB1084 or cross-hybridizes with the promoter/regulatory system of Cab AB1084 under stringent conditions, and a heterologous plant-expressible structural gene that is under the regulatory control of said plant Cab promoter/regulatory system in said plant cell.

This patent mainly claims methods for the expression of a structural gene in a plant under dark conditions by placing the gene under the control of a dark and light-active maize chlorophyll a/b (Cab) promoter/regulatory system. The promoter/regulatory system used is either the Cab AB1084 or cross-hybridizes under stringent conditions. The expression of the gene under control of the system is further enhanced by a subsequent period of light. A plant grown from a plant cell transformed with such promoter/regulatory system is also part of the claimed invention.

Mycogen Plant Sciences
US 5656496

  • Earliest priority – 5 January 1989
  • Filed – 5 June 1995
  • granted 12 August 1997
  • Expected expiry – 12 August 2014
 Title – Dark and light regulated chlorophyll A/B binding protein promoter-regulatory system

Claim 1
A recombinant DNA molecule comprising:(a) a dark- and light-active Cab promoter/regulatory system which cross-hybridizes with the Cab AB1084 promoter/regulatory system under stringent conditions, and wherein said promoter/regulatory system
(i) functions to direct the expression of a structural gene under its control during conditions of darkness and
(ii) is stimulated to direct enhanced expression of said structural gene under light conditions, and

(b) a heterologous plant-expressible structural gene wherein said structural gene is placed under the regulatory control of said plant promoter/regulatory system.

This US patent is a division of US 5639952. It is directed to a dark and light-active Cab promoter/regulatory system, which cross-hybridizes with the Cab AB1084. The promoter system operates the same as described in US 5639952.

Note: Patent information was last updated on 12 May 2006.
Search terms for Suntory patents: “promoter” in title or abstract and “Suntory” in applicant. Patent database: esp@cenet worldwide.
Search terms for Mycogen patents: “promoter” in abstract and “Mycogen” in applicant. Patent database: PatentLens in combination with INPADOC.