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Transgenic Plants with No Foregin DNA
(SRC:ISB
News Report -- ATH:Tawanda Zidenga)
This article reports that researchers at the U.S.-based
J.R. Simplot Company have developed the first example of
a genetically modified (GM) plant that contains
only native DNA. The plant, a marker-free and
"backbone"-free potato, was genetically modified for
reduced expression of a gene that codes for polyphenol
oxidase (PPO). PPO is responsible for
post-harvest enzymatic discoloration in many fruits and
vegetables, including potatoes. The researchers'
results are described in a recent edition of the
scientific
journal Plant Physiology. The article says that the
development of GM plants containing no foreign DNA has
been enabled by recent advances in scientists'
ability to isolate plant genes associated
with agronomic traits and to remove selectable marker
genes from the genomes of GM plants. The article can be
viewed online at the link below.
http://www.isb.vt.edu/news/2004/news04.sep.html#sep0402
WILD CROP SPECIES BOOST GENETIC DIVERSITY
Researchers in China crossed synthetic wheats from the
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center
(CIMMYT) in Mexico with local wheats, producing a
hybrid now benefiting Chinese farmers. Breeders in
Sichuan province have been using the CIMMYT-developed
synthetic hexaploid wheat to improve quality, yield
potential, and disease resistance. CIMMYT said that
after Chinese scientists crossed and backcrossed this
wheat with high-yielding local varieties, several lines
were developed, and they are currently testing five
more. The synthetic wheats pass on beneficial traits
such as large kernels, heavy spikes, and resistance to
new races of Chinese stripe rust. During two years of
yield trials, the two varieties derived from synthetic
wheats had 20% to 35% higher yields than the commercial
check variety. One of these varieties, Chuanmai42, had
the highest average yields at more than six tons per
hectare in the trials. It is now recommended by the
government to
farmers. For more information visit
http://www.cimmyt.org/english/ wps/news/wild_wht.htm.
Pakistan, Jordan To Launch Eight S&T Projects
(SRC:The News International, Pakistan -- ATH:n/a)
Following two-days of talks in Islamabad, Pakistan's
capital, Pakistan and Jordan have agreed to enhance
mutual cooperation in several scientific fields,
including biotechnology. Joint biotechnology research
projects will include work on fertilizer management in
salt-affected soils and research into the molecular and
genetic basis
of hereditary hearing impairment. The
article is available
online at the link below.
http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/sep2004-daily/12-09-2004/business/b6.htm
DATABASE OF IMPORTANT TREE
GENES
A new database containing a collection of the most
important genes in a tree genome has just been developed
by researchers from Sweden, in collaboration with
Oregon State University scientists in the United States.
Steven Strauss, a professor of forest science at OSU,
said that the collection describes about 102,000
sequences of the most commonly expressed genes in the
genus Populus. Strauss and colleagues also
compared many of these gene sequences to those
found in Arabidopsis, and found that nearly all the
genes were functionally common between the two, even
though they have been separated by about 100 million
years of evolution and look completely different. They
also found out that the large majority of transfers of
genes between widely separated plant species via
genetic engineering would not produce novel
characteristics, but simply modify existing genetic
characteristics. Trees, according to Strauss, have a
very complex
genetic makeup that has resisted many of the traditional
genetic research techniques that are used with other
plants that have short life cycles. Being able to
modify certain genes in trees with asexual biotechnology
methods, such as gene transfer, will hasten advances in
basic tree research. The full report on this work is in
the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. For
more information, email Steven Strauss at
steve.strauss@orst.edu.
FIRST GM SEEDS APPROVED FOR USE IN EU
The European Commission authorized the first genetically
modified (GM) seeds for commercial use across European
Union (EU) territory this week. A total
of 17 GM maize (MON810) varieties have been added to the
EU Common Seed Catalogue, and a strain of GM oilseed
rape was approved for sale,
allowing trade and planting of these varieties in all 25
EU Member States. No biotech seeds have hitherto been
approved at EU level, but some national
authorizations exist in countries such asFrance and
Spain, where MON810 has already been planted since 1998.
The process of extending approval for
MON810 beyond these countries was suspended, however, by
the EU moratorium on new GM products. The moratorium was
lifted in May this year,
and the European Commission has now approved MON810
throughout the bloc. David Byrne, the European
Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection,
said in a press release that the maize has been
"thoroughly assessed to be safe for
human health and the
environment. It has been grown in Spain for years
without any known problems; it will be clearly labeled
as GM maize to allow farmers a choice. Beate Gminder, a
spokeswoman for the Commission, told the British
Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that any farmer within
the EU is now legally entitled to buy and grow MON810,
even though some countries like the United Kingdom (UK)
have established their own sets of rules for assessing
biotech crops. To access the press release, visit
http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/health_consumer/library/press/i04_1083.en.pdf.
Biotech Events
October 15 - 17
Arthur M. Sackler Colloquium on Frontiers in
Bioinformatics: Unsolved Problems and Challenges
Irvine, CA, USA
Contact:
URL:
http://www4.nationalacademies.org/nas/nashome.nsf/urllinks/NAS-58MTTC?OpenDocument |
