Fertile transgenic corn plants

Abstract

Fertile transgenic Zea mays (corn) plants which stably express heterologous DNA which is heritable are disclosed along with a process for producing said plants. The process comprises the microjectile bombardment of friable embryogenic callus from the plant to be transformed. The process may be applicable to other graminaceous cereal plants which have not proven stably transformable by other techniques.

1 - 22 . (canceled)  
     
     
         23 . A process for conferring glyphosate herbicide tolerance to a fertile transgenic  Zea mays  plant, comprising expressing in cells of the fertile transgenic  Zea mays  plant a chromosomally integrated heterologous DNA that encodes EPSP synthase operably linked to a promoter that can be expressed in a plant cell, wherein the chromosomally integrated heterologous DNA was introduced by plant breeding from an initial fertile transgenic plant comprising the chromosomally integrated heterologous DNA, wherein the DNA is heritable and wherein the DNA is expressed so that the transgenic plant exhibits tolerance to glyphosate.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the promoter is a constitutive promoter.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the DNA that encodes EPSP synthase is operably linked to a nos 3′ end.  
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the chromosomally integrated heterologous DNA was introduced into the initial fertile transgenic plant by microprojectile bombardment.  
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the chromosomally integrated heterologous DNA was introduced by microprojectile bombardment by the steps of: 
 (a) establishing friable embryogenic callus from the plant to be transformed;    (b) transforming said cell line by microprojectile bombardment;    (c) selecting transformed cells; and    (d) regenerating a fertile transgenic plant from the transformed cells.    
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the plant breeding comprises backcrossing with the initial fertile transgenic plant comprising the chromosomally integrated heterologous DNA.  
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the fertile transgenic  Zea mays  plant is inbred.  
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the fertile transgenic  Zea mays  plant is hybrid.