COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR SAFE DELIVERY OF BIOLOGICALLY-ACTIVE PLANT TRANSFORMATION AGENTS USING NON-FIBROUS SILICON CARBIDE POWDER

摘要

According to the described invention, a biologically-active nucleic acid may be directly delivered into plant cells in an improved and operator-safe fashion using encapsulated or complexed nucleic acid formed into nanoparticles, using carborundum powder, a nucleic acid binding protein with nuclear localization signals (NLSs), or both. The plant cells are not enzymatically treated, and the delivery is not mediated by any microbial agent. The present invention provides the following: (1) a nucleic acid delivery system (NADS), i.e. macromolecular nanoparticles to impart the novel conditions; (2) a novel carrier medium (CM) used with the nucleic acid delivery system which impart the desired results; (3) novel, specific conditions that impart the desired or improved efficiency of the transformation system into the plant cell without irreversibly damaging it, and (4) a novel method to produce these conditions through the use of a combination of DNA condensing agents, carborundum powder, a nucleic acid binding protein with NLSs, which together imparts improved nucleic acid delivery efficiency and safety as compared to other known systems.