Monica N Smith

US Patent:

20040248152, Dec 9, 2004

Filed:

Dec 18, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/739607

Inventors:

Keith Davis - Durham NC, US
Adel Zayed - Durham NC, US
Robert Ascenzi - Cary NC, US
Monica Smith - Somerville MA, US
Betsy Kurnik - Wake Forest NC, US
Douglas Boyes - Chapel Hill NC, US
Rao Mulpuri - Apex NC, US
Neil Hoffman - Bethesda MD, US
Susanne Kjemtrup - Chapel Hill NC, US
Carol Hamilton - Apex NC, US
Jeffrey Woessner - Hillsborough NC, US
Jorn Gorlach - Manchester NJ, US

International Classification:

C12Q001/68
C12Q001/48

US Classification:

435/006000, 435/015000

Abstract:

The present inventors have discovered that Carbonic Anhydrase (CA) is essential for plant growth. Specifically, the inhibition of CA gene expression in plant seedlings results in reduced growth, and chlorosis. Thus, CA can be used as a target for the identification of herbicides. Accordingly, the present invention provides methods for the identification of compounds that inhibit CA expression or activity, comprising: contacting a compound with an CA and detecting the presence and/or absence of binding between said compound and said an CA, or detecting a change in CA expression or activity. The methods of the invention are useful for the identification of herbicides.