The phytase gene was obtained from Aspergillus niger var. van Tieghem, and expression of this gene produces the enzyme 3-phytase. The nptII gene was isolated from transposon Tn5 in Klebsiella pneumonia. The nptII protein, neomycin phosphotransferase II, confers resistance to some aminoglycoside antibiotics including neomycin and kanamycin, and was used by the firm as a selectable marker for transformed plant cells.

The novel genetic material in the new canola lines was inserted into the canola variety, Westar, using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation with the disarmed Ti-plasmid pMOG625. The T-DNA contained both phytase and nptII genes. The phytase gene is under the control of the cruciferin A seed storage protein transcript promoter which includes a cruciferin signal peptide sequence. Its terminator is also from the cruciferin A seed storage protein transcript. Both controlling sequences were obtained from Brassica napus. The nptII gene is under the control of the NOS promoter and terminator with an Agrobacterium tumefaciens-derived open reading frame inserted between the gene and its terminator. The open reading frame consists of coding for 50 amino acids from the Agrobacterium ornithine-cyclo-deaminase.