Table of Contents
REGULATORY
The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, the BBC, and other media outlets transformed the Enola bean patent into a cause celebre. Vilified as a textbook case of biopiracy, the patent met defeat at the hands of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
In May 2009 Monsanto Company filed a lawsuit in a St. Louis federal court against E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company and Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. for patent infringement, breach of contract, and other claims. Monsanto alleged that Pioneer and DuPont breached a license by combining, or stacking, Pioneer's OptimumR GATR trait in soybeans that contain Monsanto's Roundup ReadyR trait. On January 15, 2010, Monsanto scored a victory with a decision by US District Judge
PLANT RESEARCH
Increasing Transgene Expression in Barley via the Insertion of an Expression-enhancing Intron
Joanne Bartlett
Transgene expression is typically controlled by a promoter appropriate to the required expression level and tissue expression pattern. However, this approach is limited, as it can sometimes be difficult to find a promoter that provides both a high level of expression and a suitable expression pattern. An alternative method for increasing transgene expression is to introduce an expression-enhancing intron to the coding sequence of the introduced gene.
Genetically Engineered Pea Seeds Protect Against Parasites
Sergey M. Kipriyanov
Coccidiosis is a diarrheal disease of chickens caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Eimeria, which could be prevented by oral delivery of antibodies that inhibit parasite invasion. A recent paper in BMC Biotechnology describes a new approach to control parasitic infections in production animals by feeding antibody-producing genetically engineered (GE) crop seeds.
Recruiting Genetic Engineering and Gene Silencing Technology to Control Parasitic Weeds
Radi Aly
Parasitic weeds represent one of the most destructive and intractable problems to agricultural production, causing heavy damage to numerous crops, reducing both crop yield and quality. The Orobanche species (broomrapes) are obligate root parasites of important dicotyledonous crops in semiarid regions of the world. A novel strategy has been designed to enhance host resistance to Orobanche based on parasite-induced expression of a selective sarcotoxin IA polypeptide.
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