According to the invention, there is provided an inbred corn plant designated 89AHD12. This invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the inbred corn plant 89AHD12, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing the inbred corn plant 89AHD12 with itself or with another corn plant, such as another inbred. This invention further relates to corn seeds and plants produced by crossing the inbred plant 89AHD12 with another corn plant, such as another inbred, and to crosses with related species. This invention further relates to the inbred and hybrid genetic complements of the inbred corn plant 89AHD12, and also to the SSR and genetic isozyme typing profiles of inbred corn plant 89AHD12.

Inbred corn plant 89AHD12 and seeds thereof

How genes paint flowers and seeds

Summary Flavonoids ar€ a class of low molecular rveight phenolic compounds that is widely distributed in th€ ptant kingdom. They exhibit a divers€ spectrum of biologicat functions and play an important role in the int€raction betwe€n plants and their environment. Flavonoids not only protect the plant from the harmful effec0s of UV irrsdiation but also play a crucial role in the serxal reproduction process. A special class of tlavonoid potyme.s, th€ tannins, plays a structural role in the ptant. Y€t other classes of flavonoids, flavonols and anthocyaninsj have been implicated in the attraction of pollinators. Certain flavonoids participAte in the inte.action b€tween plants and other organisms such as symbiotic bacteria and parasites. This rais€s the intriguing question as to how thes€ different compounds arose and evolved, Bas€d on taxonomy aId molecular analysis of g€n€ expression patterns it is possible to d€duce a putative sequence of acq sition of the different branches of fhe biosvnthetic pathway and th€ir regulato.s, lnlroduction Plants arc well,known producers ofa large anay of low mol eculal weighi compounds. Most of rhesc compounds were initially classified as secondary meIaboliles because they seemed to have no clear finction for rhe orgrinisn. To man, however. these compounds have had a long hisrory of use as, for instance. precursors of medicines, liavours, fragrances. dyes and various subslances for the cheD ical indusrrv. I livonoids are probably lhe moq inren,iret) \rudied ,ec ondary metabolites of plants. Although their widespread presence in lhe plant kingdom was known for nany years. originally tbey were considered to be of lirlle bioloqical imporlance. Ne\enhele\'. rla!unoid, hare r'adiriona y Eeen favourite research objects lor chemists. enzymologists and genelicists. For exanple, the laws ofMendel and rhe discovery of transposable elemeDts by Mcclintock are based ir parr on the analyses oi anthocyanin pigmentation mulants. Today, flavonoid biosynthesis is one of rhe be$ slsLems available for the study ofregularion ofplanr gcne expression. Although this research often addresses issues other than the biological functions offlavonoids, it has helped to nake us awaIe of the wide variety of important biological functions that flavonoids exert in tbe planr.

The flavonoid biosynthetic pathway in plants: Function and evolution

This invention relates to a reproducible system for the production of stable, genetically transformed maize cells, and to methods of selecting cells that have been transformed. One method of selection disclosed employs the Streptomyces bar gene introduced by microprojectile bombardment into embryogenic maize cells which were grown in suspension cultures, followed by exposure to the herbicide bialaphos. The methods of achieving stable transformation disclosed herein include tissue culture methods and media, methods for the bombardment of recipient cells with the desired transforming DNA, and methods of growing fertile plants from the transformed cells. This invention also relates to the transformed cells and seeds and to the fertile plants grown from the transformed cells and to their pollen.

Methods and compositions for the production of stably transformed fertile monocot plants and cells thereof

The myb-homologous P gene controls phlobaphene pigmentation in maize floral organs by directly activating a flavonoid biosynthetic gene subset.

The temporal and spatial patterns of anthocyanin pigmentation in the maize plant are determined by the presence or absence of the R protein product, a presumed transcriptional activator. At least 50 unique patterns of pigmentation, conditioned by members of the R gene family, have been described. In this study, microprojectiles were used to introduce into maize cells a vector containing the transcription unit from one of these genes (Lc) fused to a constitutive promoter. This chimeric gene induces cell autonomous pigmentation in tissues that are not normally pigmented by the Lc gene. As a reporter for gene expression studies in maize, R is unique because it can be quantified in living tissue simply by counting the number of pigmented cells following bombardment. R may also be useful as a visible marker for selecting stably transformed cell lineages that can give rise to transgenic plants.

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/247/4941/449.full.pdf

A Regulatory Gene as a Novel Visible Marker for Maize Transformation

Derivatives of α-hordothionin made by position-specific substitution with lysine residues provide lysine enrichment while retaining the antifungal activity of the parent compound.

High lysine derivatives of alpha-hordothionin

The present invention provides a plant seed the endosperm of which is characterized as having an elevated level of a preselected amino acid. The present invention also provides expression cassettes, vectors, plants, plant cells and a method for enhancing the nutritional value of seeds.

Alteration of amino acid compositions in seeds

This invention relates to newly identified polynucleotides and polypeptides, variants and derivatives of same; methods for making the polynucleotides, polypeptides, variants, derivatives and antagonists. In particular the invention relates to polynucleotides and polypeptides of the phytate metabolic pathway.

Genes controlling phytate metabolism in plants and uses thereof

The present invention provides a method for increasing the levels of essential amino acids in seeds of plants, thereby enhancing the nutritional value of the seeds. The method comprises manipulating the metabolic pathway of the amino acid to provide an increased source of the target free amino acid and, concomitantly, over-expressing a preselected gene coding for the protein containing the target amino acid, such that there is accumulation of protein-bound target amino acid. A complementary protein sink is thus produced. The present invention is particularly useful in increasing levels of methionine, lysine and threonine in seeds.

Larry R. Beach

Papers

A Regulatory Gene as a Novel Visible Marker for Maize Transformation

High lysine derivatives of alpha-hordothionin

Alteration of amino acid compositions in seeds

Genes controlling phytate metabolism in plants and uses thereof

Methods of increasing accumulation of essential amino acids in seeds