Patent ID: 6683230
Filing Date: 2004-01-27
Classification: A01H,C07K,C12N,C12Y

Abstract:
A method of producing hybrid seed comprising incorporating a first expression cassette into a first plant to generate a hemizygous female parent plant, said first expression cassette comprising:(a) a first gene promoter sequence which is a male flower specific promoter; (b) a disrupter gene encoding a protein capable of disrupting male fertility operably linked to the first gene promoter sequence; (c) a second gene promoter sequence which is a female tissue specific promoter sequence optionally operably linked to one or more translational enhancer or intron sequences; (d) a restorer gene encoding a protein capable of restoring female fertility operably linked to the second gene promoter sequence; (e) a third gene promoter sequence responsive to the presence or absence of an exogenous chemical inducer said third gene promoter sequence optionally operably linked to one or more translational enhancer or intron sequences; and (f) a restorer gene encoding a protein capable of restoring male fertility operably linked to the third gene promoter sequence; whereby the presence of the exogenous chemical inducer controls male fertility; and incorporating a second expression cassette into a second plant to generate a hemizygous male parent plant, said second expression cassette comprising:(g) a first gene promoter sequence which is a female flower specific promoter sequence; (h) a disrupter gene encoding a protein capable of disrupting female fertility; (i) a second gene promoter sequence which is a male tissue specific promoter sequence optionally operably linked to one or more enhancer or intron sequences; (j) a restorer gene encoding a protein capable of restoring male fertility operably linked to the second gene promoter sequence; (k) a third gene promoter sequence responsive to the presence or absence of an exogenous chemical inducer, said third gene promoter sequence optionally operably linked to one or more enhancer or intron sequences; and (l) a restorer gene encoding a protein capable of restoring female fertility operably linked to the third gene promoter sequence; whereby the presence of the exogenous chemical inducer controls female fertility; applying an exogenous chemical inducer to the transformants thereby allowing the plants to self-pollinate; growing up plants from the resulting seed; selecting for male and female homozygous plants; crossing the selected male and female plants; and obtaining the resulting hybrid seed.