Patent ID: 8168860

Claim:
A method for producing a transgenic plant comprising: (a) transforming at least one cell in the plant with a gene expression system comprising: i. an activation cassette comprising, under control of a suitable promoter and in operative association therewith, (a) a GAL 4 DNA-binding domain (DBD) that recognizes a selected response element comprising five copies of GAL4 response element; (b) an ecdysone receptor ligand binding domain (EcRLBD); and (c) a VP16 activation domain (AD) which is activated in the presence of an inducing composition; and ii. a target cassette comprising (d) an inducible promoter comprising, in operative association, the response element to which the DBD of (a) binds and a minimal promoter responsive to the AD of (c), the inducible promoter controlling expression of (e) a nucleic acid sequence that encodes a selected protein that modifies sensitivity to ethylene in the plant, said protein selected from the group consisting of ethylene biosynthesis genes ACS and ACO, ACC deaminase, ethylene receptor genes, ETR1, ETR2, ERS1, ERS2 and EIN4, ethylene signaling pathway genes, RTE1, CTR1, EIN2, EIN3 and EIN3-like (EIL1-5), ethylene response factors, ERF1, EDF1, EDF2, EDF3 and EDF4, and EIN3 binding F-box proteins, EBF1 and EBF2, and mutants thereof; wherein interaction among the components of the activation cassette and the target cassette, when in a plant cell, with an inducing composition, modulates expression of the selected protein and selectively modulates ethylene sensitivity in the plant cell; (b) generating a plant from the transformed plant cell; and (c) selecting a plant comprising the transformed plant cell, which plant demonstrates selective modulation of ethylene insensitivity when the plant is contacted with the inducing composition, the modulation in protein expression controlled by the timing, the concentration, and the duration of the application of the inducing composition.