Patent ID: 7282624

Claim:
A method of producing a transgenic solanaceous plant, wherein cells of the solanaceous plant have within their genome a chimeric gene, the expression of which gene causes plant cell cytotoxicity by ribosome inactivation at a desired target site within the plant body, comprising (i) transforming plant cells with a chimeric gene comprising (a) a promoter, which promoter is induced at and/or adjacent to the target site, operably linked to (b) a nucleic acid molecule which binds to SEQ. ID. No.:2 in 0.5M NaHPO 4 , 7% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), 1 mm EDTA at 65° C. followed by washing in 0.1×SSC, 0.1% SDS at 68° C., wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a mature maize ribosome inactivating protein comprising an α domain and a β domain arranged contiguously and having type 3 ribosome inactivating activity; and (ii) the selective expression of the ribosome inactivating protein at the target site for induction of plant cell death at that target site.