Use of multiple transformation enhancer sequences to improve plant transformation efficiency

1. A method of producing a recombinant construct comprising:

introducing at least one additional transformation enhancer sequence into a plant transformation vector, said plant transformation vector comprising at least one T-DNA border region, and said T-DNA border region including a transformation enhancer sequence, thereby producing a recombinant construct comprising at least two transformation enhancer sequences, wherein the transformation enhancer sequences are operably linked to the T-DNA border region and comprise two or more copies of SEQ ID NO:20.

2. A recombinant DNA construct comprising a T-DNA border sequence, operably linked to a transformation enhancer sequence, wherein the transformation enhancer sequence comprises two or more copies of SEQ ID NO:20.

3. The construct of claim 2 , wherein the border sequence is a right border (RB) sequence.

4. The construct of claim 2 , wherein the border sequence is a left border (LB) sequence.

5. The construct of claim 3 , wherein the RB sequence is from a nopaline Ti plasmid.

6. The construct of claim 3 , wherein the RB sequence is from an octopine Ti plasmid.

7. A transgenic cell transformed with the construct of claim 2 .

8. The cell of claim 7 , defined as a plant or bacterial cell.

9. The cell of claim 8 , wherein the cell is an Agrobacterium cell.

10. The cell of claim 8 , wherein the cell is a Rhizobium cell.

11. The cell of claim 8 , wherein the cell is a plant cell 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.

12. A transgenic plant transformed with the construct of claim 2 .

13. The transgenic plant of claim 12 , wherein the transgenic plant is 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.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the border region is a right border (RB) sequence.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the border region is a left border (LB) sequence.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transforming a plant cell with said recombinant construct by Rhizobia -mediated transformation, wherein the Rhizobia bacterium is competent for the transformation of said plant cell.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the Rhizobia -mediated transformation is Agrobacterium -mediated transformation.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the Rhizobia -mediated transformation is Agrobacterium -, Rhizobium -, Sinorhizobium -, Mesorhizobium -, or Bradyrhizobium -mediated transformation.

19. The method 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. The method of claim 19 , wherein the plant cell is a corn or soybean cell.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein the recombinant construct comprises from 2 to about 18 copies of SEQ ID NO:20.

22. The method of claim 16 , further comprising regenerating a transgenic plant from said plant cell.

23. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transformation enhancer sequences comprise one or more copies of a sequence selected from the group consisting of: SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:9, and SEQ ID NO:13.

24. A method of producing a recombinant construct comprising:

introducing at least one additional transformation enhancer sequence into a plant transformation vector, said plant transformation vector comprising at least one T-DNA border region, and said T-DNA border region including a first transformation enhancer sequence, thereby producing a recombinant construct comprising at least two transformation enhancer sequences, wherein the transformation enhancer sequences are operably linked to the T-DNA border region and comprise one or more copies of SEQ ID NO:6 and one or more copies of SEQ ID NO:20.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein the border region is a right border (RB) sequence.

26. The method of claim 24 , wherein the border region is a left border (LB) sequence.

27. The method of claim 24 , further comprising transforming a plant cell with said recombinant construct by Rhizobia -mediated transformation, wherein the Rhizobia bacterium is competent for the transformation of said plant cell.

28. The method of claim 27 , wherein the Rhizobia -mediated transformation is Agrobacterium -mediated transformation.

29. The method of claim 27 , wherein the Rhizobia -mediated transformation is Agrobacterium -, Rhizobium -, Sinorhizobium -, Mesorhizobium -, or Bradyrhizobium -mediated transformation.

30. The method of claim 27 , 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.

31. The method of claim 30 , wherein the plant cell is a corn or soybean cell.

32. The method of claim 27 , further comprising regenerating a transgenic plant from said plant cell.

33. A recombinant DNA construct comprising a T-DNA border sequence operably linked to a transformation enhancer sequence, wherein the transformation enhancer sequence comprises a combination of one or more copies of SEQ ID NO:6 and one or more copies of SEQ ID NO:20.

34. The construct of claim 33 , wherein the border sequence is a right border (RB) sequence.

35. The construct of claim 33 , wherein the border sequence is a left border (LB) sequence.

36. The construct of claim 34 , wherein the RB sequence is from a nopaline Ti plasmid.

37. The construct of claim 34 , wherein the RB sequence is from an octopine Ti plasmid.

38. The construct of claim 33 , wherein the transformation enhancer sequence comprises one or more copies of a sequence selected from the group consisting of: SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:9, and SEQ ID NO:13.

39. A transgenic cell transformed with the construct of claim 33 .

40. The cell of claim 39 , defined as a plant or bacterial cell.

41. The cell of claim 40 , wherein the cell is an Agrobacterium cell.

42. The cell of claim 40 , wherein the cell is a Rhizobium cell.

43. The cell of claim 40 , wherein the cell is a plant cell 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.

44. A transgenic plant transformed with the construct of claim 33 .

45. The transgenic plant of claim 44 , wherein the transgenic plant is 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.