Patent ID: 7432425

Claim:
A method for the production of a 7-O-methylated isoflavonoid compound comprising contacting intact plants or cell suspension cultures with a non-methylated isoflavone precursor of said 7-O-methylated isoflavonoid compound, wherein the precursor is a substrate for an enzyme comprising the polypeptide sequence encoded by SEQ ID NO:1, said intact plants or cell suspension cultures transformed with a DNA fragment comprising an isoflavone O-methytransferase gene under the control of a suitable constitutive or inducible promoter, wherein said DNA fragment is selected from the group consisting of: a DNA fragment comprising SEQ ID NO:1; a DNA fragment that encodes the polypeptide encoded by SEQ ID NO:1; and a DNA fragment comprising a sequence that hybridizes with SEQ ID NO:1 under wash conditions of 0.2×SSC, 0.1% SDS at 65° C.