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Breakthrough Takes Root in Acid Soils
(SRC:CSIRO Australia -- ATH:n/a)
Researchers from
CSIRO Plant Industry in Australia and Japan's Okayama
University have isolated "the world's first"
aluminum tolerance gene
from wheat. The gene enables roots to exude malate, a
normal constituent of plant cells,
which binds aluminium in
the soil into a non-toxic form and protects roots from
damage. The researchers
demonstrated the
effectiveness
of the wheat gene by inserting it into barely, a plant
normally very sensitive to aluminum. The resulting
experimental
genetically modified (GM)
barley plants exhibited a high level of tolerance to
aluminum in acidic soils. The discovery of
the wheat gene is expected
to accelerate the development of crops capable of
growing in high soil acidity levels;
high acidity levels limit agriculture when naturally
occurring aluminium dissolves and inhibits root growth
in sensitive plants.
Peter Ryan of CSIRO says:
"Aluminium tolerance is not present in many crop and
pasture species, including barley,
so they cannot be improved
by conventional plant breeding. But as a single gene is
responsible, gene technology is an ideal
way to introduce the tolerance trait." High soil
acidity affects more than 40 percent of the world's
arable land.
The article can be viewed
online at the link below.
http://www.checkbiotech.org/root/index.cfmfuseaction=news&doc_id=9006&start=11&control=233&page
_start=1&page_nr=101&pg=1
POTATOES
GET A BRIGHT NEW LOOK
Scientists at the
Scottish Crop Research Institute at Invergowrie,
near Dundee, Scotland, have recently developed
transgenic versions of two potato varieties, Desiree and
Mayan Gold, which have much higher levels of
carotenoids. Their findings are reported in the
Journal of Experimental Botany. The red, orange and
yellow colors of fruit and vegetables, such as carrots,
citrus fruits, peppers, and tomatoes are mainly due to
pigments called carotenoids. These pigments are believed
to protect against
cancer, heart disease and
deterioration of eyesight in the aged. For example,
lycopene, present in tomatoes, appears to have a
protective effect against prostate cancer, while lutein
and zeaxanthin (both of which are found in dark green
leafy vegetables,
fruit, corn and egg
yolks) appear to provide protection against age-related
macular degeneration. Researchers used the phytoene
synthase gene (crtB) from Erwinia uredovora, a species
of bacteria obtained from a brewery in Japan, and
introduced it into
potato plants through
Agrobacterium transfer, along with a gene that would
direct it for expression in tubers. Tests on RNA and
protein levels of various carotenoids showed that the
tubers had successfully expressed violaxanthin, lutein,
antheraxanthin, and beta-carotene, with the carotenoid
levels lower in mature tubers, and with the levels of
beta-carotene greater by as much as six times as those
in their natural counterparts. With news from The
Glasgow Herald and CheckBiotech. Visit the Scottish Crop
Research Institute at
http://www.scri.sari.ac.uk/.
Helping Cotton Thrive in the Heat
(SRC:Checkbiotech.org -- ATH:David Elstein)
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are working to
develop genetically modified (GM) cotton plants with
increased tolerance for heat. The researchers plan to
insert a gene into the cotton genome for the heat
resistant version of a plant enzyme called Rubisco
activase. High temperatures normally have an adverse
impact on Rubisco activase, resulting in impaired
photosynthesis and reduced yields. However, the
heat-resistant version of the enzyme was discovered by
the researchers in a shrub that grows in the desert in
the U.S. state of Arizona. The article says
that if their research is successful, genetically
modified (GM) cotton carrying the heat-tolerant version
of Rubisco activase
could be used to improve cotton production in Arizona
and other hot areas in the U.S. The technology could
potentially also
be used to improve the performance of other crops that
suffer from high temperatures.
The article can be viewed online at the link below.
http://www.checkbiotech.org/root/index.cfm?fuseaction=news&doc_id=9014&start=31&control=232&page_start=1&page_nr=101&pg=1
AN APPLE A DAY MAY KEEP
ALZHEIMER’S AT BAY
Not only the apple, but
other fruits and vegetables rich in
antioxidants may delay or even prevent
Alzheimer’s disease,
Cornell University
scientists report in the Dec. 1 issue of the Journal of
Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Quercetin, a potent
antioxidant, appears to protect brain cells against
oxidative stress, a tissue-damaging process associated
with Alzheimer’s
and other
neurodegenerative disorders. It is concentrated in the
skin of red apples, and is also present in onions,
blueberries,
and cranberries. In the
latest experiments, scientists treated rat brain cells
with varying concentrations of either quercetin or
vitamin C. The cells were
then exposed to hydrogen peroxide to simulate the type
of oxidative cell damage that is believed to
occur with Alzheimer’s.
These results were then compared to brain cells that
were similarly exposed to hydrogen peroxide
but were not pre-treated
with antioxidants. Brain cells that were treated with
quercetin had significantly less damage to both
cellular proteins and DNA
than the cells treated with vitamin C and the cells that
were not exposed to antioxidants.
This demonstrates
quercetin’s stronger protective effect against
neurotoxicity, according to the researchers. Studies on
the
influence of diet on
brain cell health have already been conducted since
2002. In one experiment, mice with genetic defects
similar to Alzheimer’s
disease were fed apple juice, then put in a maze to test
their memory. Mice that had the Alzheimer's-like defect
were forgetful and explored the same corridors
repeatedly. After drinking apple juice, their memories
improved so
much that they performed
nearly as well as normal mice. Normal mice who drank
apple juice improved even more.
Mice who drank too much
apple juice did not benefit in the experiment, and
actually had trouble in the maze.
Read the original press
release at
http://center.acs.org/applications/ccs/application/index.cfm?PressReleaseID=
2414&categoryid=2
Biotech Events
December 9 - 12
Comparative Plant Genomics
Cold Spring Harbor, USA
Contact: Meetings & Courses Office, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, PO Box
100, 1 Bungtown Road, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724-2213,
USA; Tel: +1 (516) 367 8346; Fax: +1 (516) 367 8845;
Email:
meetings@cshl.org;
URL:
http://www.cshl.org/
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