Use of multiple transformation enhancer sequences to improve plant transformation efficiency

1. A method of increasing the efficiency of Rhizobia-mediated plant transformation, comprising: transforming a plant cell with a Rhizobia bacterium , said Rhizobia bacterium comprising a plant transformation vector which comprises at least one T-DNA border sequence from Agrobacterium tumefaciens and a transformation enhancer sequence operably linked to said T-DNA border sequence; said transformation enhancer sequence comprising two or more copies of SEQ ID NO:6 or the full length complement of SEQ ID NO:6.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transformation enhancer sequence is located proximal to a T-DNA right border (RB) sequence.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the transformation enhancer sequence is from an Ri plasmid of Agrobacterium rhizogenes.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the Rhizobia-mediated transformation is Agrobacterium -mediated transformation.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the Rhizobia-mediated transformation is Agrobacterium, Rhizobium, Sinorhizobium, Mesorhizobium , or Bradyrhizobium -mediated transformation.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plant cell is from a plant selected from the group consisting of soybean, corn, cotton, canola, rice, wheat, alfalfa, common bean, peanut, tobacco, sunflower, barley, beet, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, cucumber, eggplant, leek, lettuce, melon, oat, onion, pea, pepper, peanut, potato, pumpkin, radish, sorghum, spinach, squash, sugarbeet, tomato and watermelon.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said transformation enhancer sequence comprises SEQ ID NO:11, or a full-length complement of SEQ ID NO:11.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plant cell is a corn or soybean cell.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the T-DNA border region comprises from 1 to about 18 copies of said transformation enhancer sequence.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of regenerating a transgenic plant from said plant cell.

11. A recombinant DNA construct comprising a T-DNA border sequence, operably linked to a transformation enhancer sequence comprising one or more copies of SEQ ID NO:11, a sequence complementary to the full-length of SEQ ID NO:11 or combinations thereof.

12. The construct of claim 11 , wherein the enhancer sequence comprises at least about four copies of said sequence.

13. The construct of claim 11 , wherein the border sequence is a right border (RB) sequence.

14. The construct of claim 11 , wherein the border sequence is a left border (LB) sequence.

15. A transgenic cell transformed with the construct of claim 11 .

16. The cell of claim 15 , defined as a plant or bacterial cell.

17. The cell of claim 16 , wherein the cell is an Agrobacterium cell.

18. The cell of claim 16 , wherein the cell is a Rhizobium cell.

19. The cell of claim 16 , wherein the plant cell is from a plant selected from the group consisting of soybean, corn, cotton, canola, rice, wheat, alfalfa, common bean, peanut, tobacco, sunflower, barley, beet, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, cucumber, eggplant, leek, lettuce, melon, oat, onion, pea, pepper, peanut, potato, pumpkin, radish, sorghum, spinach, squash, sugarbeet, tomato, and watermelon.

20. A transgenic plant transformed with the construct of claim 11 .

21. The transgenic plant of claim 20 , defined as selected from the group consisting of soybean, corn, cotton, canola, rice, wheat, alfalfa, common bean, peanut, tobacco, sunflower, barley, beet, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, cucumber, eggplant, leek, lettuce, melon, oat, onion, pea, pepper, peanut, potato, pumpkin, radish, sorghum, spinach, squash, sugarbeet, tomato, and watermelon.

22. A method of increasing the efficiency of Rhizobia-mediated plant transformation, additional comprising:

a) introducing at least one additional transformation enhancer sequence into a plant transformation vector comprising at least one T-DNA border region including a transformation enhancer sequence; and

b) transforming a plant cell with a Rhizobia bacterium comprising said plant transformation vector, wherein the additional transformation enhancer sequence comprises at least one copy of SEQ ID NO:6 or the full length complement of SEQ ID NO:6.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the additional transformation enhancer sequence is located proximal to a T-DNA right border (RB) sequence.

24. The method of claim 22 , wherein the additional transformation enhancer sequence is from an Ri plasmid of Agrobacterium rhizogenes.

25. The method of claim 22 , wherein the Rhizobia-mediated transformation is Agrobacterium -mediated transformation.

26. The method of claim 22 , wherein the Rhizobia-mediated transformation is Agrobacterium, Rhizobium, Sinorhizobium, Mesorhizobium , or Bradyrhizobium -mediated transformation.

27. The method of claim 22 , wherein the plant cell is from a plant selected from the group consisting of soybean, corn, cotton, canola, rice, wheat, alfalfa, common bean, peanut, tobacco, sunflower, barley, beet, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, cucumber, eggplant, leek, lettuce, melon, oat, onion, pea, pepper, peanut, potato, pumpkin, radish, sorghum, spinach, squash, sugarbeet, tomato and watermelon.

28. The method of claim 22 , wherein said additional transformation enhancer sequence comprises SEQ ID NO:11, or a full-length complement of SEQ ID NO:11.

29. The method of claim 22 , wherein the plant cell is a corn or soybean cell.

30. The method of claim 22 , wherein the T-DNA border region comprises from 1 to about 18 copies of said additional transformation enhancer sequence.

31. The method of claim 22 , further comprising the step of regenerating a transgenic plant from said plant cell.