Agritope, Inc. today announced the issuance of a new US patent for its biotechnology program. The patent, number 6,054,635, covers a novel plant gene promoter derived from raspberry fruit. This promoter is a specific sequence of DNA that directs the expression of any gene linked to the promoter.

"Promoters are fundamental components of all biotechnology platforms because an effective
promoter is necessary to activate genes in a precise manner," said Adolph J. Ferro, president
and chief executive officer. "Agritope has a very active promoter discovery program that is
critical for our company’s ability to achieve improved traits in plant products and that allows us
to conduct our research without incurring costs of licensing promoters owned by others."

The newly patented promoter, named RE4, can control gene activity in many or all tissues in a
given plant. In studies to date, Agritope scientists have determined that RE4 directs gene
expression in a number of plants in addition to raspberry. This broad spectrum of plant species
includes apple, arabidopsis, garlic, lettuce, melon, onion, pear, tobacco and tomato. RE4 can
also be used to control the activity of marker genes, which are important research tools used
to confirm the presence of a new gene or trait in a plant. The utility of the RE4 promoter for
molecular plant breeding is greatly enhanced by the fact that it is a naturally occurring plant
DNA sequence. Thus, it can replace commonly used promoters of non-plant origin when
creating improved plant varieties. 

Agritope’s patent portfolio now consists of 17 issued US Patents, 12 issued foreign patents as
well as applications for an additional 57 patents pending. In addition, its 50% owned joint
venture Agrinomics LLC has five patent applications pending.

Agritope is an Oregon-based agricultural functional genomics and biotechnology company that
develops improved plant products and provides technology to the agricultural industry. Its fruit
and vegetable division specializes in the development of improved fruit, vegetable and flower
varieties. Agrinomics LLC, its 50% owned joint venture with Aventis CropScience, conducts a research, development and commercialization program in the field of plant functional genomics. Vinifera, Inc., its majority owned subsidiary, offers superior grapevine plants to the premium wine industry.

Company news release
N2782