# US 7,745,693 B2 · Inhibitors of plant peptide deformylase for use as broad-spectrum herbicides and methods for identifying the same

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- Number: US 7,745,693 B2
- Document ID: US7745693B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 11/880,955
- Filed: 2007-07-24
- Published: 2008-03-13
- Granted: 2010-06-29
- Earliest claimed: 2007-07-24
- Assignees: University of Kentucky Research Foundation
- Inventors: Robert L. Houtz; Lynnette M. A. Dirk; Mark Alan Williams
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7745693B2

## CPC

- C12N 15/8274: {for herbicide resistance}
- A01N 43/36: five-membered rings
- A01N 61/00: Biocides, pest repellants or attractants, or plant growth regulators containing substances of unknown or undetermined composition, e.g. substances characterised only by the mode of action
- C07K 14/415: from plants
- C12N 9/14: Hydrolases (3)
- C12N 9/80: acting on amide bonds in linear amides {(3.5.1)}
- C12N: MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA (microbiological testing media C12Q1/00)
- A01N: PRESERVATION OF BODIES OF HUMANS OR ANIMALS OR PLANTS OR PARTS THEREOF (preservation of food or foodstuff A23); BIOCIDES, e.g. AS DISINFECTANTS, AS PESTICIDES OR AS HERBICIDES (preparations for medical, dental or toiletry purposes which kill or prevent the growth or proliferation of unwanted organisms A61K); PEST REPELLANTS OR ATTRACTANTS; PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS
- C07K: PEPTIDES (peptides in foodstuffs A23; obtaining protein compositions for foodstuffs, working-up proteins for foodstuffs A23J; preparations for medicinal purposes A61K; peptides containing beta-lactam rings C07D; cyclic dipeptides not having in their molecule any other peptide link than those which form their ring, e.g. piperazine-2,5-diones, C07D; ergot alkaloids of the cyclic peptide type C07D519/02; macromolecular compounds having statistically distributed amino acid units in their molecules, i.e. when the preparation does not provide for a specific; but for a random sequence of the amino acid units, homopolyamides and block copolyamides derived from amino acids C08G69/00; macromolecular products derived from proteins C08H1/00; preparation of glue or gelatine C09H; single cell proteins, enzymes C12N; genetic engineering processes for obtaining peptides C12N15/00; compositions for measuring or testing processes involving enzymes C12Q; investigation or analysis of biological material G01N33/00)

## Abstract

The invention relates to a method of identifying herbicides and to the use of inhibitors of plant peptide deformylase as broad spectrum herbicides.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of preparing an herbicide-resistant plant, comprising: a) transforming recipient plant cells with a nucleic acid molecule encoding a plant peptide deformylase having peptide deformylase activity; b) selecting a recipient plant cell comprising the nucleic acid molecule, c) contacting the selected recipient plant cell of (b) with an herbicide that inhibits plant peptide deformylase activity; d) selecting a recipient plant cell of (c) that is resistant to the herbicide; and e) regenerating a plant from the selected recipient plant cell, wherein the plant comprises enhanced herbicide resistance relative to a corresponding non-transformed plant and wherein the plant peptide deformylase comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1 wherein the herbicide comprises actinonin.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A method of controlling weeds comprising the step of planting an herbicide resistant plant prepared according to the method of claim 1 and treating the plants, and the area in proximity to said plants, with a plant peptide deformylase-inhibiting herbicide, wherein growth of weeds is controlled.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method according to claim 3 wherein the herbicide comprises actinonin.

### Claim 5

A method of selectively growing herbicide-resistant plants, the method comprising the steps of: a) growing plants comprising elevated levels of plant peptide deformylase relative to a corresponding wild type plant; and b) contacting the plants with an amount of an herbicide comprising an inhibitor of plant peptide deformylase sufficient to prevent growth of a corresponding plant which does not over-express plant peptide deformylase wherein the plant peptide deformylase is encoded by a transgene and wherein the plant peptide deformylase comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method according to claim 5 wherein the herbicide comprises actinonin.