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Results for “Plant engineering”

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At least 1,045 records · Page 58Linked to original sources
PubMed2006

Engineering broad root-knot resistance in transgenic plants by RNAi silencing of a conserved and essential root-knot nematode parasitism gene.

Secreted parasitism proteins encoded by parasitism genes expressed in esophageal gland cells mediate infection and parasitism of plants by root-knot nematodes (RKN). Parasitism gene 16D10 encodes a conserved RKN secretory peptide that stimulates root growth and functions as a ligand for a putative plant transcription factor. We used in vitro and in vivo RNA interference approaches to silence this parasitism gene in RKN and validate that the parasitism gene has an essential function in RKN parasitism of plants. Ingestion of 16D10 dsRNA in vitro silenced the target parasitism gene in RKN and resulted in reduced nematode infectivity. In vivo expression of 16D10 dsRNA in Arabidopsis resulted in resistance effective against the four major RKN species. Because no known natural resistance gene has this wide effective range of RKN resistance, bioengineering crops expressing dsRNA that silence target RKN parasitism genes to disrupt the parasitic process represents a viable and flexible means of developing novel durable RKN-resistant crops and could provide crops with unprecedented broad resistance to RKN.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Developmental expression and substrate specificities of alfalfa caffeic acid 3-O-methyltransferase and caffeoyl coenzyme A 3-O-methyltransferase in relation to lignification.

The biosynthesis of monolignols can potentially occur via two parallel pathways involving free acids or their coenzyme A (CoA) esters. Caffeic acid 3-O-methyltransferase (COMT) and caffeoyl CoA 3-O-methyltransferase (CCOMT) catalyze functionally identical reactions in these two pathways, resulting in the formation of mono- or dimethoxylated lignin precursors. The activities of the two enzymes increase from the first to the sixth internode in stems of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), preceding the deposition of lignin. Alfalfa CCOMT is highly similar at the amino acid sequence level to the CCOMT from parsley, although it contains a six-amino acid insertion near the N terminus. Transcripts encoding both COMT and CCOMT are primarily localized to vascular tissue in alfalfa stems. Alfalfa CCOMT expressed in Escherichia coli catalyzes O-methylation of caffeoyl and 5-hydroxyferuloyl CoA, with preference for caffeoyl CoA. It has low activity against the free acids. COMT expressed in E. coli is active against both caffeic and 5-hydroxyferulic acids, with preference for the latter compound. Surprisingly, very little extractable O-methyltransferase activity versus 5-hydroxyferuloyl CoA is present in alfalfa stem internodes, in which relative O-methyltransferase activity against 5-hy-droxyferulic acid increases with increasing maturity, correlating with increased lignin methoxyl content.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2002

Effect of polyclonal, monoclonal, and recombinant (single-chain variable fragment) antibodies on in vitro morphology, growth, and metabolism of the phytopathogenic mollicute Spiroplasma citri.

Antibodies are known to affect the morphology, growth, and metabolism of mollicutes and thus may serve as candidate molecules for a plantibody-based control strategy for plant-pathogenic spiroplasmas and phytoplasmas. Recombinant single-chain variable fragment (scFv) antibodies are easy to engineer and express in plants, but their inhibitory effects on mollicutes have never been evaluated and compared with those of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies. We describe the morphology, growth, and glucose metabolism of Spiroplasma citri in the presence of polyclonal, monoclonal, and recombinant antibodies directed against the immunodominant membrane protein spiralin. We showed that the scFv antibodies had no effect on S. citri glucose metabolism but were as efficient as polyclonal antibodies in inhibiting S. citri growth in liquid medium. Inhibition of motility was also observed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Programmed cell death in plant disease: the purpose and promise of cellular suicide.

The interaction of pathogens with plants leads to a disruption in cellular homeostasis, often leading to cell death, in both compatible and incompatible relationships. The mechanistic basis of this cellular disruption and consequent death is complex and poorly characterized, but it is established that host responses to pathogens are dependent on gene expression, involve signal transduction, and require energy. Recent data suggest that in animals, a genetically regulated, signal transduction-dependent programmed cell death process, commonly referred to as apoptosis, is conserved over a wide range of phyla. The basic function of apoptosis is to direct the selective elimination of certain cells during development, but it also is a master template that is involved in host responses to many pathogens. Programmed cell death in plants, while widely observed, has not been studied extensively at either the biochemical or genetic level. Current data suggest that activation or suppression of programmed cell death may underlie diseases in plants as it does in animals. This review describes some of the fundamental characteristics of apoptosis in animals and points to a number of connections to programmed cell death in plants that may lead to both a better understanding of disease processes and novel strategies for engineering disease resistance in plants.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1997

Molecular approaches to identify novel genes expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Our laboratory is engaged in an effort to identify genes expressed primarily during plant embryogenesis. Genes which exhibit unique expression profiles in the plant are also being sought. To this end, several methods to identify and clone novel genes based on specific expression patterns have been developed. These methods include virtual subtraction, differential display and other PCR based technologies. In addition to this, a yeast one-hybrid approach has been established to identify transcription factors which regulate these genes. To date, this work has identified several novel genes.

Arabidopsis↗
PubMed2026

Plant cis-regulatory grammar: Decoding the multidimensional code of transcriptional regulation for programmable crop engineering.

Cis-regulatory elements (CREs) orchestrate the spatiotemporal precision of gene expression that underlies plant development, adaptation, and domestication. Decoding the cis-regulatory grammar of plant genomes remains a central challenge in modern biology, with profound implications for programmable crop engineering. Here, recent conceptual and technological advances are synthesized to reshape our understanding of plant CREs. This review first argues that CRE function is not only an intrinsic property of DNA sequence alone but also emerges from a multidimensional context, including chromatin accessibility, histone modifications, three-dimensional genome topology, and cell type-specific regulatory landscapes. Furthermore, the convergence of single-cell epigenomics, high-throughput functional assays, and CRISPR-based dissection has begun to unravel this contextual grammar, revealing the computational principles governing transcriptional regulation. Critically, we propose that artificial intelligence (AI) platforms are catalyzing an ongoing transition from descriptive discovery to predictive engineering, wherein these platforms outperform natural evolution in designing synthetic CREs. Finally, a roadmap is outlined toward a plant regulatory grammar foundation model, which will enable truly predictive engineering of gene expression when fine-tuned for specific tasks. Collectively, the integration of single-cell resolution maps, precise genome editing, AI-driven design, and regulatory-compliant delivery systems promises to transform our ability to reprogram plant gene regulation for next-generation agriculture, bridging the gap between foundational regulatory biology and tangible crop improvement.

artificial intelligence↗
PubMed1998

Metabolic engineering of rice leading to biosynthesis of glycinebetaine and tolerance to salt and cold.

Genetically engineered rice (Oryza sativa L.) with the ability to synthesize glycinebetaine was established by introducing the codA gene for choline oxidase from the soil bacterium Arthrobacter globiformis. Levels of glycinebetaine were as high as 1 and 5 micromol per gram fresh weight of leaves in two types of transgenic plant in which choline oxidase was targeted to the chloroplasts (ChlCOD plants) and to the cytosol (CytCOD plants), respectively. Although treatment with 0.15 M NaCl [corrected] inhibited the growth of both wild-type and transgenic plants, the transgenic plants began to grow again at the normal rate after a significantly less time than the wild-type plants after elimination of the salt stress. Inactivation of photosynthesis, used as a measure of cellular damage, indicated that ChlCOD plants were more tolerant than CytCOD plants to photoinhibition under salt stress and low-temperature stress. These results indicated that the subcellular compartmentalization of the biosynthesis of glycinebetaine was a critical element in the efficient enhancement of tolerance to stress in the engineered plants.

Acclimatization↗
PubMed2005

Modular cloning in plant cells.

New plant genes are being discovered at a rapid pace. Yet, in most cases, their precise function remains elusive. The recent advent of recombinational cloning techniques has significantly improved our ability to investigate gene functions systematically. For example, proteins fused with diverse fluorescent tags can be expressed at will using versatile cloning cassettes. In addition, novel binary T-DNA vectors are now available to assemble multiple DNA fragments simultaneously, which greatly facilitate plant cell and protein engineering.

Cloning, Molecular↗
PubMed1982

Nuclear power plant maintainability.

In the mid-1970s a general awareness of human factors engineering deficiencies associated with power plant control rooms took shape and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) awarded the Lockheed Corporation a contract to review the human factors aspects of five representative operational control rooms and their associated simulators. This investigation revealed a host of major and minor deficiencies that assumed unforeseen dimensions in the post- Three Mile Island accident period. In the course of examining operational problems (Seminara et al, 1976) and subsequently the methods for overcoming such problems (Seminara et al, 1979, 1980) indications surfaced that power plants were far from ideal in meeting the needs of maintenance personnel. Accordingly, EPRI sponsored an investigation of the human factors aspects of power plant maintainability (Seminara, 1981). This paper provides an overview of the maintainability problems and issues encountered in the course of reviewing five nuclear power plants.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

Expression of the antiapoptotic baculovirus p35 gene in tomato blocks programmed cell death and provides broad-spectrum resistance to disease.

The sphinganine analog mycotoxin, AAL-toxin, induces a death process in plant and animal cells that shows apoptotic morphology. In nature, the AAL-toxin is the primary determinant of the Alternaria stem canker disease of tomato, thus linking apoptosis to this disease caused by Alternaria alternata f. sp. lycopersici. The product of the baculovirus p35 gene is a specific inhibitor of a class of cysteine proteases termed caspases, and naturally functions in infected insects. Transgenic tomato plants bearing the p35 gene were protected against AAL-toxin-induced death and pathogen infection. Resistance to the toxin and pathogen co-segregated with the expression of the p35 gene through the T3 generation, as did resistance to A. alternata, Colletotrichum coccodes, and Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato. The p35 gene, stably transformed into tomato roots by Agrobacterium rhizogenes, protected roots against a 30-fold greater concentration of AAL-toxin than control roots tolerated. Transgenic expression of a p35 binding site mutant (DQMD to DRIL), inactive against animal caspases-3, did not protect against AAL-toxin. These results indicate that plants possess a protease with substrate-site specificity that is functionally equivalent to certain animal caspases. A biological conclusion is that diverse plant pathogens co-opt apoptosis during infection, and that transgenic modification of pathways regulating programmed cell death in plants is a potential strategy for engineering broad-spectrum disease resistance in plants.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed1995

Disease resistance conferred by expression of a gene encoding H2O2-generating glucose oxidase in transgenic potato plants.

Plant defense responses to pathogen infection involve the production of active oxygen species, including hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). We obtained transgenic potato plants expressing a fungal gene encoding glucose oxidase, which generates H2O2 when glucose is oxidized. H2O2 levels were elevated in both leaf and tuber tissues of these plants. Transgenic potato tubers exhibited strong resistance to a bacterial soft rot disease caused by Erwinia carotovora subsp carotovora, and disease resistance was sustained under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions of bacterial infection. This resistance to soft rot was apparently mediated by elevated levels of H2O2, because the resistance could be counteracted by exogenously added H2O2-degrading catalase. The transgenic plants with increased levels of H2O2 also exhibited enhanced resistance to potato late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans. The development of lesions resulting from infection by P. infestans was significantly delayed in leaves of these plants. Thus, the expression of an active oxygen species-generating enzyme in transgenic plants represents a novel approach for engineering broad-spectrum disease resistance in plants.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed2005

Regulating transgenic crops sensibly: lessons from plant breeding, biotechnology and genomics.

The costs of meeting regulatory requirements and market restrictions guided by regulatory criteria are substantial impediments to the commercialization of transgenic crops. Although a cautious approach may have been prudent initially, we argue that some regulatory requirements can now be modified to reduce costs and uncertainty without compromising safety. Long-accepted plant breeding methods for incorporating new diversity into crop varieties, experience from two decades of research on and commercialization of transgenic crops, and expanding knowledge of plant genome structure and dynamics all indicate that if a gene or trait is safe, the genetic engineering process itself presents little potential for unexpected consequences that would not be identified or eliminated in the variety development process before commercialization. We propose that as in conventional breeding, regulatory emphasis should be on phenotypic rather than genomic characteristics once a gene or trait has been shown to be safe.

Agriculture↗