Life Sciences Commons^™

Transgenic Plant-Produced Hydrolytic Enzymes And The Potential Of Insect Gut-Derived Hydrolases For Biofuels, Jonathan D. Willis, Mitra Mazarei, C. Neal Stewart Jr.

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Various perennial C4 grass species have tremendous potential for use as lignocellulosic biofuel feedstocks. Currently available grasses require costly pre-treatment and exogenous hydrolytic enzyme application to break down complex cell wall polymers into sugars that can then be fermented into ethanol. It has long been hypothesized that engineered feedstock production of cell wall degrading (CWD) enzymes would be an efficient production platform for of exogenous hydrolytic enzymes. Most research has focused on plant overexpression of CWD enzyme-coding genes from free-living bacteria and fungi that naturally break down plant cell walls. Recently, it has been found that insect digestive tracts harbor …

Simultaneous Knockdown Of Six Non-Family Genes Using A Single Synthetic Rnai Fragment In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Olaf Czarnecki, Anthony C. Bryan, Sara S. Jawdy, Xiaohan Yang, Zong-Ming Cheng, Jin-Gui Chen, Gerald A. Tuskan

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Background

Genetic engineering of plants that results in successful establishment of new biochemical or regulatory pathways requires stable introduction of one or more genes into the plant genome. It might also be necessary to down-regulate or turn off expression of endogenous genes in order to reduce activity of competing pathways. An established way to knockdown gene expression in plants is expressing a hairpin-RNAi construct, eventually leading to degradation of a specifically targeted mRNA. Knockdown of multiple genes that do not share homologous sequences is still challenging and involves either sophisticated cloning strategies to create vectors with different serial expression constructs …

Construction Of High Resolution Genetic Linkage Maps To Improve The Soybean Genome Sequence Assembly Glyma1.01, Qijian Song, Jerry Jenkins, Gaofeng Jia, David L. Hyten, Vince Pantalone, Scott A. Jackson, Jeremy Schmutz, Perry B. Cregan

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Background

A landmark in soybean research, Glyma1.01, the first whole genome sequence of variety Williams 82 (Glycine max L. Merr.) was completed in 2010 and is widely used. However, because the assembly was primarily built based on the linkage maps constructed with a limited number of markers and recombinant inbred lines (RILs), the assembled sequence, especially in some genomic regions with sparse numbers of anchoring markers, needs to be improved. Molecular markers are being used by researchers in the soybean community, however, with the updating of the Glyma1.01 build based on the high-resolution linkage maps resulting from this research, …

Identification And Molecular Characterization Of The Switchgrass Ap2/Erf Transcription Factor Superfamily, And Overexpression Of Pverf001 For Improvement Of Biomass Characteristics For Biofuel, Wegi A. Wuddineh, Mitra Mazarei, Geoffrey B. Turner, Robert W. Sykes, Stephen R. Decker, Mark F. Davis, Neal Stewart

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

The APETALA2/ethylene response factor (AP2/ERF) superfamily of transcription factors (TFs) plays essential roles in the regulation of various growth and developmental programs including stress responses. Members of these TFs in other plant species have been implicated to play a role in the regulation of cell wall biosynthesis. Here, we identified a total of 207 AP2/ERF TF genes in the switchgrass genome and grouped into four gene families comprised of 25 AP2-, 121 ERF-, 55 DREB (dehydration responsive element binding)-, and 5 RAV (related to API3/VP) genes, as well as a singleton gene not fitting any of the above families. The …

Map Supplements For The Metallic Woodboring Beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) Of Tennessee, William E. Klingeman Iii, Jason A. Hansen, Joshua P. Basham, Jason B. Oliver, Nadeer N. Youssef, Whitney Swink, Christine A. Nalepa, Donna C. Fare, J. Kevin Moulton

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Following compilation of distribution records and seasonal flight activity information for 106 metallic wood-boring beetle (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) species for Tennessee, maps were updated to provide county-level collection notations for 10,543 published records and specimen collections made from 1934 to 2013. County collection tallies across the ecoregions in Tennessee are also presented. Maps for individual species highlight gaps in key geographic areas where specimens have not been collected and can be valuable for future biosurveillance, monitoring and management efforts for these economically and ecologically important insects.

Synchronization Of Developmental Processes And Defense Signaling By Growth Regulating Transcription Factors, Jinyi Liu, John Hollis Rice, Nana Chen, Thomas J. Baum, Tarek Hewezi

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Growth regulating factors (GRFs) are a conserved class of transcription factor in seed plants. GRFs are involved in various aspects of tissue differentiation and organ development. The implication of GRFs in biotic stress response has also been recently reported, suggesting a role of these transcription factors in coordinating the interaction between developmental processes and defense dynamics. However, the molecular mechanisms by which GRFs mediate the overlaps between defense signaling and developmental pathways are elusive. Here, we report large scale identification of putative target candidates of Arabidopsis GRF1 and GRF3 by comparing mRNA profiles of the grf1/grf2/grf3 triple mutant and those …

Reproducibility And Reliability Assays Of The Gene, Behrooz Darbani, Charles Neal Stewart

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Background

Reliability and reproducibility are key metrics for gene expression assays. This report assesses the utility of the correlation coefficient in the analysis of reproducibility and reliability of gene expression data.

Results

The correlation coefficient alone is not sufficient to assess equality among sample replicates but when coupled with slope and scatter plots expression data equality can be better assessed. Narrow-intervals of scatter plots should be shown as a tool to inspect the actual level of noise within the data. Here we propose a method to examine expression data reproducibility, which is based on the ratios of both the means …

Genome-Wide Analysis And Expression Profile Of The Bzip Transcription Factor Gene Family In Grapevine (Vitis Vinifera), Jinyi Liu, Nana Chen, Fei Chen, Bin Cai, Silvia Dal Santo, Tornielli Battista Tornielli, Mario Pezzoti, Zong-Ming Cheng

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Background

Basic leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factor gene family is one of the largest and most diverse families in plants. Current studies have shown that the bZIP proteins regulate numerous growth and developmental processes and biotic and abiotic stress responses. Nonetheless, knowledge concerning the specific expression patterns and evolutionary history of plant bZIP family members remains very limited.

Results

We identified 55 bZIP transcription factor-encoding genes in the grapevine (Vitis vinifera) genome, and divided them into 10 groups according to the phylogenetic relationship with those in Arabidopsis. The chromosome distribution and the collinearity analyses suggest that expansion of …

An Orange Fluorescent Protein Tagging System For Real-Time Pollen Tracking, J Hollis Rice, Reginald J. Millwood, Richard E. Mundell, Orlando D. Chambers, Laura L. Abercrombie, H Maeolor Davies, C Neal Stewart

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Background

Monitoring gene flow could be important for future transgenic crops, such as those producing plant-made-pharmaceuticals (PMPs) in open field production. A Nicotiana hybrid (Nicotiana. tabacum × Nicotiana glauca) shows limited male fertility and could be used as a bioconfined PMP platform. Effective assessment of gene flow from these plants is augmented with methods that utilize fluorescent proteins for transgenic pollen identification.

Results

We report the generation of a pollen tagging system utilizing an orange fluorescent protein to monitor pollen flow and as a visual assessment of transgene zygosity of the parent plant. This system was created to generate …

Sensitivity Of A Real-Time Pcr Method For The Detection Of Transgenes In A Mixture Of Transgenic And Non-Transgenic Seeds Of Papaya (Carica Papaya L.), Madhugiri Nageswara-Rao, Charles Kwit, Sujata Agarwa, Mariah T. Patton, Jordan A. Skeen, Joshua A. Skeen, Richard M. Manshardt, C Neal Stewart

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Background

Genetically engineered (GE) ringspot virus-resistant papaya cultivars ‘Rainbow’ and ‘SunUp’ have been grown in Hawai’i for over 10 years. In Hawai’i, the introduction of GE papayas into regions where non-GE cultivars are grown and where feral non-GE papayas exist have been accompanied with concerns associated with transgene flow. Of particular concern is the possibility of transgenic seeds being found in non-GE papaya fruits via cross-pollination. Development of high-throughput methods to reliably detect the adventitious presence of such transgenic material would benefit both the scientific and regulatory communities.

Results

We assessed the accuracy of using conventional qualitative polymerase chain reaction …

Assessing The Bioconfinement Potential Of A Nicotiana Hybrid Platform For Use In Plant Molecular Farming Applications, J Hollis Rice, Richard E. Mundell, Reginald J. Millwood, Orlando D. Chambers, C Neal Stewart, H Maelor Davies

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Background

The introduction of pharmaceutical traits in tobacco for commercial production could benefit from the utilization of a transgene bioconfinement system. It has been observed that interspecific F₁Nicotiana hybrids (Nicotiana tabacum × Nicotiana glauca) are sterile and thus proposed that hybrids could be suitable bioconfined hosts for biomanufacturing. We genetically tagged hybrids with green fluorescent protein (GFP), which was used as a visual marker to enable gene flow tracking and quantification for field and greenhouse studies. GFP was used as a useful proxy for pharmaceutical transgenes.

Results

Analysis of DNA content revealed significant genomic downsizing of …

Assessing The Bioconfinement Potential Of A Nicotiana Hybrid Platform For Use In Plant Molecular Farming Applications, J Hollis Rice, Richard E. Mundell, Reginald J. Millwood, Orlando D. Chambers, C Neal Stewart, H Maelor Davies

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Background

The introduction of pharmaceutical traits in tobacco for commercial production could benefit from the utilization of a transgene bioconfinement system. It has been observed that interspecific F₁Nicotiana hybrids (Nicotiana tabacum × Nicotiana glauca) are sterile and thus proposed that hybrids could be suitable bioconfined hosts for biomanufacturing. We genetically tagged hybrids with green fluorescent protein (GFP), which was used as a visual marker to enable gene flow tracking and quantification for field and greenhouse studies. GFP was used as a useful proxy for pharmaceutical transgenes.

Results

Analysis of DNA content revealed significant genomic downsizing of …

Advances In Biotechnology And Genomics Of Switchgrass, Madhugiri Nageswara-Rao, Jaya R. Soneji, Charles Kwit, C N. Stewart

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a C₄ perennial warm season grass indigenous to the North American tallgrass prairie. A number of its natural and agronomic traits, including adaptation to a wide geographical distribution, low nutrient requirements and production costs, high water use efficiency, high biomass potential, ease of harvesting, and potential for carbon storage, make it an attractive dedicated biomass crop for biofuel production. We believe that genetic improvements using biotechnology will be important to realize the potential of the biomass and biofuel-related uses of switchgrass. Tissue culture techniques aimed at rapid propagation of switchgrass and genetic transformation …

Enhanced Characteristics Of Genetically Modified Switchgrass (Panicum Virgatum L.) For High Biofuel Production, Hui Shen, Charleson R. Poovaiah, Angela Ziebell, Timothy J. Tschaplinski, Sivakumar Pattathil, Erica Gjersing, Nancy L. Engle, Rui Katahira, Yunqiao Pu, Robert Sykes, Fang Chen, Arthur J. Ragauskas, Jonathan R. Mielenz, Michael G. Hahn, Mark Davis, Neal Stewart, Richard A. Dixon

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Background

Lignocellulosic biomass is one of the most promising renewable and clean energy resources to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on fossil fuels. However, the resistance to accessibility of sugars embedded in plant cell walls (so-called recalcitrance) is a major barrier to economically viable cellulosic ethanol production. A recent report from the US National Academy of Sciences indicated that, “absent technological breakthroughs”, it was unlikely that the US would meet the congressionally mandated renewable fuel standard of 35 billion gallons of ethanol-equivalent biofuels plus 1 billion gallons of biodiesel by 2022. We here describe the properties of switchgrass ( …

Less Is More: Strategies To Remove Marker Genes From Transgenic Plants, Yuan-Yeu Yau, C. Neal Stewart

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Selectable marker genes (SMGs) and selection agents are useful tools in the production of transgenic plants by selecting transformed cells from a matrix consisting of mostly untransformed cells. Most SMGs express protein products that confer antibiotic- or herbicide resistance traits, and typically reside in the end product of genetically-modified (GM) plants. The presence of these genes in GM plants, and subsequently in food, feed and the environment, are of concern and subject to special government regulation in many countries. The presence of SMGs in GM plants might also, in some cases, result in a metabolic burden for the host plants. …

Nanoparticle Biofabrication Using English Ivy (Hedera Helix), Jason N. Burris, Scott C. Lenaghan, Mingjun Zhang, C. N. Stewart

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Background

English ivy (Hedera helix) is well known for its adhesive properties and climbing ability. Essential to its ability to adhere to vertical surfaces is the secretion of a nanocomposite adhesive containing spherical nanoparticles, 60–85 nm in diameter, produced exclusively by root hairs present on adventitious roots. These organic nanoparticles have shown promise in biomedical and cosmetic applications, and represent a safer alternative to metal oxide nanoparticles currently available.

Results

It was discovered that the maximum adventitious root production was achieved by a 4 h application of 1 mg/ml indole-3 butyric acid (IBA) to juvenile English ivy shoot …

Nanoparticle Biofabrication Using English Ivy (Hedera Helix), Jason N. Burris, Scott C. Lenaghan, Mingjun Zhang, C Neal Stewart

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Background

English ivy (Hedera helix) is well known for its adhesive properties and climbing ability. Essential to its ability to adhere to vertical surfaces is the secretion of a nanocomposite adhesive containing spherical nanoparticles, 60–85 nm in diameter, produced exclusively by root hairs present on adventitious roots. These organic nanoparticles have shown promise in biomedical and cosmetic applications, and represent a safer alternative to metal oxide nanoparticles currently available.

Results

It was discovered that the maximum adventitious root production was achieved by a 4 h application of 1 mg/ml indole-3 butyric acid (IBA) to juvenile English ivy shoot …

Survey Of Borreliae In Ticks, Canines, And White-Tailed Deer From Arkansas, U.S.A., Rebecca T. Fryxell, C. D. Steelman, Alan R. Szalanski, Ken L. Kvamee, Peggy M. Billingsley, Philip C. Williamson

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Background

In the Eastern and Upper Midwestern regions of North America, Ixodes scapularis (L.) is the most abundant tick species encountered by humans and the primary vector of B. burgdorferi, whereas in the southeastern region Amblyomma americanum (Say) is the most abundant tick species encountered by humans but cannot transmit B. burgdorferi. Surveys of Borreliae in ticks have been conducted in the southeastern United States and often these surveys identify B. lonestari as the primary Borrelia species, surveys have not included Arkansas ticks, canines, or white-tailed deer and B. lonestari is not considered pathogenic. The objective of this study was …

Very Bright Orange Fluorescent Plants: Endoplasmic Reticulum Targeting Of Orange Fluorescent Proteins As Visual Reporters In Transgenic Plants, David Gj Mann, Laura L. Abercrombie, Mary R. Rudis, Reggie J. Millwood, John R. Dunlap, Neal Stewart

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Background

The expression of fluorescent protein (FP) genes as real-time visual markers, both transiently and stably, has revolutionized plant biotechnology. A palette of colors of FPs is now available for use, but the diversity has generally been underutilized in plant biotechnology. Because of the green and far-red autofluorescent properties of many plant tissues and the FPs themselves, red and orange FPs (RFPs, and OFPs, respectfully) appear to be the colors with maximum utility in plant biotechnology. Within the color palette OFPs have emerged as the brightest FP markers in the visible spectra. This study compares several native, near-native and modified …

Differential Plasmodium Falciparum Infection Of Anopheles Gambiae S.S. Molecular And Chromosomal Forms In Mali, Rebecca T. Fryxell, Catelyn C. Nieman, Abdrahamane Fofana, Yoosook Lee, Sekou F. Traore, Anthony J. Cornel, Shirley Luckhart, Gregory C. Lanzaro

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Background

Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto (s.s.) is a primary vector of Plasmodium falciparum in sub-Saharan Africa. Although some physiological differences among molecular and chromosomal forms of this species have been demonstrated, the relative susceptibility to malaria parasite infection among them has not been unequivocally shown. The objective of this study was to investigate P. falciparum circumsporozoite protein infection (CSP) positivity among An. gambiae s.s. chromosomal and molecular forms.

Methods

Wild An. gambiae from two sites Kela (n = 464) and Sidarebougou (n = 266) in Mali were screened for the presence of P. falciparum CSP using an enzyme-linked …

Rapid In Vivo Analysis Of Synthetic Promoters For Plant Pathogen Phytosensing, Wusheng Liu, Mira Mazarei, Mary R. Rudis, Neal C. Stewart

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Background

We aimed to engineer transgenic plants for the purpose of early detection of plant pathogen infection, which was accomplished by employing synthetic pathogen inducible promoters fused to reporter genes for altered phenotypes in response to the pathogen infection. Toward this end, a number of synthetic promoters consisting of inducible regulatory elements fused to a red fluorescent protein (RFP) reporter were constructed for use in phytosensing.

Results

For rapid analysis, an Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression assay was evaluated, then utilized to assess the inducibility of each synthetic promoter construct in vivo. Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum cv. Xanthi) leaves were …

Switchgrass (Panicum Virgatum L.) Polyubiquitin Gene (Pvubi1 And Pvubi2) Promoters For Use In Plant Transformation, David Gj Mann, Zachary R. King, Wuesheng Liu, Blake L. Joyce, Ryan J. Percifield, Jennifer S. Hawkins, Peter R. Lafayette, Barbara J. Artelt, Jason N. Burris, Mitra Mazarei, Jeffrey L. Bennetzen, Wayne A. Parrott, Charles N. Stewart

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Abstract

Background

The ubiquitin protein is present in all eukaryotic cells and promoters from ubiquitin genes are good candidates to regulate the constitutive expression of transgenes in plants. Therefore, two switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) ubiquitin genes (PvUbi1 and PvUbi2) were cloned and characterized. Reporter constructs were produced containing the isolated 5' upstream regulatory regions of the coding sequences (i.e. PvUbi1 and PvUbi2 promoters) fused to the uidA coding region (GUS) and tested for transient and stable expression in a variety of plant species and tissues.

Results

PvUbi1 consists of 607 bp containing cis-acting regulatory …

Microsyn: A User Friendly Tool For Detection Of Microsynteny In A Gene Family, Bin Cai, Xiaohan Yang, Gerald A. Tusken, Zong-Ming Cheng

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Background

The traditional phylogeny analysis within gene family is mainly based on DNA or amino acid sequence homologies. However, these phylogenetic tree analyses are not suitable for those "non-traditional" gene families like microRNA with very short sequences. For the normal protein-coding gene families, low bootstrap values are frequently encountered in some nodes, suggesting low confidence or likely inappropriateness of placement of those members in those nodes.

Results

We introduce MicroSyn software as a means of detecting microsynteny in adjacent genomic regions surrounding genes in gene families. MicroSyn searches for conserved, flanking colinear homologous gene pairs between two genomic fragments to …

Translation Reinitiation And Development Are Compromised In Similar Ways By Mutations In Translation Initiation Factor Eif3h And The Ribosomal Protein Rpl24, Fujun Zhou, Bijoyita Roy, Albrecht G. Von Arnim

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Background

Within the scanning model of translation initiation, reinitiation is a non-canonical mechanism that operates on mRNAs harboring upstream open reading frames. The h subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 3 (eIF3) boosts translation reinitiation on the uORF-containing mRNA coding for the Arabidopsis bZip transcription factor, AtbZip11, among others. The RPL24B protein of the large ribosomal subunit, which is encoded by SHORT VALVE1, likewise fosters translation of uORF-containing mRNAs, for example mRNAs for auxin response transcription factors (ARFs).

Results

Here we tested the hypothesis that RPL24B and eIF3h affect translation reinitiation in a similar fashion. First, like eif3h mutants, rpl24b …

Comparative Functional Genomic Study Of Substrate Specificity Evolution Of The Sabath Family Of Methyltransferases In Plants, Nan Zhao, Jean-Luc Ferrer, Xiaofeng Zhuang, Feng Chen

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Background

The plant SABATH protein family is composed of a group of related small molecule methyltransferases (MTs) that catalyze the S-adenosyl-L-methionine dependent methylation of a variety of plant small molecular weight metabolites encompassing widely divergent structures. Some of these substrates are important plant hormones and signaling molecules, such as indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA). Methylating these compounds may have important impacts on plant growth and development. In the previous paper, we presented Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) methyltransferase (IAMT) as an evolutionarily ancient member of the SABATH family in higher plants. Whether the IAMT exists in less …

A High-Throughput Transient Gene Expression System For Switchgrass (Panicum Virgatum L.) Seedlings, Xinlu Chen, Raymie Equi, Holly Baxter, Kyle Berk, Jin Han, Sujata Agarwal, Janice Zale

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Abstract

Background

Grasses are relatively recalcitrant to genetic transformation in comparison to certain dicotyledons, yet they constitute some of the most important biofuel crops. Genetic transformation of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) has previously been reported after cocultivation of explants with Agrobacterium and biolistics of embryogenic calli. Experiments to increase transient gene expression in planta may lead to stable transformation methods with increased efficiency.

Results

A high-throughput Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene expression system has been developed for in planta inoculation of germinating switchgrass seedlings. Four different Agrobacterium strains were compared for their ability to infect switchgrass seedlings, and strain AGL1 …

Genetic Load And Transgenic Mitigating Genes In Transgenic Brassica Rapa (Field Mustard) × Brassica Napus (Oilseed Rape) Hybrid Populations, Christy W. Rose, Reginald J. Millwood, Hong S. Moon, Murali R, Rao, Matthew D. Halfhill, Paul L. Raymer, Suzanne I. Warwick, Hani Al-Ahmad, Jonathan Gressel, Neal C. Stewart

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Abstract

Background

One theoretical explanation for the relatively poor performance of Brassica rapa (weed) × Brassica napus (crop) transgenic hybrids suggests that hybridization imparts a negative genetic load. Consequently, in hybrids genetic load could overshadow any benefits of fitness enhancing transgenes and become the limiting factor in transgenic hybrid persistence. Two types of genetic load were analyzed in this study: random/linkage-derived genetic load, and directly incorporated genetic load using a transgenic mitigation (TM) strategy. In order to measure the effects of random genetic load, hybrid productivity (seed yield and biomass) was correlated with crop- and weed-specific AFLP genomic markers. This …

Novel Software Package For Cross-Platform Transcriptome Analysis (Cptra), Xin Zhou, Zhen Su, Douglas R. Sammons, Yanhui Peng, Patrick J. Tranel, Neal C. Stewart, Joshua S. Yuan

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Abstract

Background

Next-generation sequencing techniques enable several novel transcriptome profiling approaches. Recent studies indicated that digital gene expression profiling based on short sequence tags has superior performance as compared to other transcriptome analysis platforms including microarrays. However, the transcriptomic analysis with tag-based methods often depends on available genome sequence. The use of tag-based methods in species without genome sequence should be complemented by other methods such as cDNA library sequencing. The combination of different next generation sequencing techniques like 454 pyrosequencing and Illumina Genome Analyzer (Solexa) will enable high-throughput and accurate global gene expression profiling in species with limited genome …

Transcriptional Responses Of Arabidopsis Thaliana Plants To As (V) Stress, Jason M. Abercrombie, Matthew D. Halfhill, Priya Ranjan, Murali R. Rao, Arnold M. Saxton, Joshua S. Yuan, Neal Stewart

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Background

Arsenic is toxic to plants and a common environmental pollutant. There is a strong chemical similarity between arsenate [As (V)] and phosphate (Pi). Whole genome oligonucleotide microarrays were employed to investigate the transcriptional responses of Arabidopsis thaliana plants to As (V) stress.

Results

Antioxidant-related genes (i.e. coding for superoxide dismutases and peroxidases) play prominent roles in response to arsenate. The microarray experiment revealed induction of chloroplast Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) (at2g28190), Cu/Zn SOD (at1g08830), as well as an SOD copper chaperone (at1g12520). On the other hand, Fe SODs were strongly repressed in response to As (V) stress. Non-parametric rank …

Recent Developments In Primer Design For Dna Polymorphism And Mrna Profiling In Higher Plants, Xiaohan Yang, Brian E. Scheffler, Leslie A. Weston

Plant Sciences Publications and Other Works

Primer design is a critical step in the application of PCR-based technologies in gene expression and genetic diversity analysis. As more plant genomes have been sequenced in recent years, the emphasis of primer design strategy has shifted to genome-wide and high-throughput direction. This paper summarizes recent advances in primer design for profiling of DNA polymorphism and mRNA in higher plants, as well as new primer systems developed for animals that can be adapted for plants.