US007868229B2 (12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 7,868,229 B2 Ratcliffe et al. (45) Date of Patent: Jan. 11, 2011 (54) EARLY FLOWERING IN GENETICALLY (58) Field of Classification Search ....................... None MODIFIED PLANTS See application file for complete search history. (56) References Cited (75) Inventors: Oliver Ratcliffe, Oakland, CA (US); Roderick W. Kumimoto, San Bruno, U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS CA (US); Peter P. Repetti, Emeryville, 6,235,975 B1 5, 2001 Harada et al. 6,320,102 B1 1 1/2001 Harada et al. CA (US); T. Lynne Reuber, San Mateo, 6,476.212 B1 1 1/2002 Lalgudi et al. CA (US); Robert Creelman, Castro 6,495,742 B1 12/2002 Shinozaki et al. Valley, CA (US); Frederick D. Hempel, 6,545.201 B1 4/2003 Harada et al. Albany, CA (US) 6,677,504 B2 1/2004 da Costa e Silva et al. 6,781,035 B1 8/2004 Harada et al. (73) Assignee: Mendel Biotechnology, Inc., Hayward, 6.825,397 B1 1 1/2004 Lowe et al. 2001/0051335 A1 12/2001 Lalgudi et al. 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No. 7,663,025, which is a continuation-in-part of application No. PCT/ FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS AR PO70 102784 1, 2008 US2004/37584, filed on Nov. 12, 2004, application CA 2302828 10, 2000 No. 1 1/705.903, which is a continuation-in-part of CL 185107 2, 2008 application No. 10/714,887, filed on Nov. 13, 2003, (Continued) application No. 1 1/705.903, which is a continuation in-part of application No. 10/546,266, filed as applica OTHER PUBLICATIONS tion No. PCT/US2004/005654 on Feb. 25, 2004, now U.S. Appl. No. 09/533,030, filed Mar. 22, 2000, Keddie, James et al., entire document. Pat. No. 7,659,446, application No. 1 1/705,903, which U.S. Appl. No. 10/286.264, filed Jun. 25, 2008, Keddie, James, et al., is a continuation-in-part of application No. 10/374, office action. 780, filed on Feb. 25, 2003, application No. 1 1/705, U.S. Appl. No. 10/286.264, filed Mar. 10, 2009, Keddie, James, et al., 903, which is a continuation-in-part of application No. office action. U.S. Appl. No. 10/286.264, filed Aug. 11, 2006, Keddie, James, et al., 10/412,699, filed on Apr. 10, 2003, application No. office action. 11/705.903, which is a continuation-in-part of appli U.S. Appl. No. 10/286.264, filed Oct. 7, 2005, Keddie, James, et al., cation No. 10/374,780, filed on Feb. 25, 2003, appli office action. cation No. 1 1/705.903, which is a continuation-in-part (Continued) of application No. 10/675,852, filed on Sep. 30, 2003, Primary Examiner Stuart F. Baum application No. 1 1/705.903, which is a continuation (74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm Jeffrey M. Libby:Yifan Mao in-part of application No. 10/666,642, filed on Sep. 18, 2003. (57) ABSTRACT The present invention provides polynucleotides encoding (60) Provisional application No. 60/411,837, filed on Sep. CCAAT-binding transcription factor polypeptides that modu 18, 2002, provisional application No. 60/434,166, late the onset of reproductive development in plants. Poly filed on Dec. 17, 2002. nucleotides encoding functional CCAAT-binding transcrip tion factors were incorporated into expression vectors, (51) Int. Cl. introduced into plants, and ectopically expressed. The CI2N 15/82 (2006.01) encoded polypeptides of the invention significantly shortened AOIH 5/00 (2006.01) the time to flower development in the transgenic plants, as AOIH 5/10 (2006.01) compared to the flowering time of control plants. (52) U.S. Cl. ....................... 800/298; 800/290,800/287: 800/320, 800/306; 800/278 19 Claims, 9 Drawing Sheets US 7,868,229 B2 Page 2 U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Asamizu, E., et al. (Apr. 28, 2000). Generation of 7137 non-redun dant expressed sequence tags from a legume, Lotus japonicus. DNA 2004/0216190 A1 10, 2004 Kovalic et al. Res. 7 (2), 127-130. 2004/0229367 A1 11/2004 Berka et al. Bucher, P., and Trifonov, E.N. (Jun. 1988). CCAAT box revisited: 2004/0259145 A1 12/2004 Wood et al. bidirectionality, location and context. 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