#Genetic study tackles mystery of slow plant domesticationsthe Modern View of Domestication a special feature of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) published April 29 raises a number of startling questions
Recently geneticists and archeologists working on domestication compared notes and up popped a question of timing.
Genetic studies often indicate that domestication traits have a fairly simple genetic basis which should facilitate their rapid evolution under selection.
In this special issue of PNAS Washington University in St louis biologist Ken Olsen Phd and colleagues ask
whether complex genetic interactions might have slowed the rate at which early farmers were able to shape plant characteristics
thus reconciling the genetic and archeological findings. Olsen associate professor in the Department of biology in Arts & Sciences together with colleagues from Oklahoma State university and the University of Guelph in Ontario Canada conclude that these interactions are not a key factor in domesticated plants The process of domestication
Olsen said favored gene variants (alleles) that are relatively insensitive to background effects and highly responsive to selection.
But finding these alleles in the first place must have said difficult Olsen. Only a subset of the genes in the wild population would have produced reliably a favored trait regardless of the crop variety into
which they were bred and regardless of where that crop was grown. So the early stages of domestication might have been beset by setbacks
Over the past 20 years researchers have begun to identify the genes that control some of the most important domestication traits no easy task in the days before rapid sequencing
because they had to start with plant traits and work back to unknown genes. This work showed that many domestication traits were under the control of single genes.
For example the gene teosinte branched1 (tb1) converts highly branched teosinte plants into single stalks of corn.
But the seeming importance of single genes could have been an artifact of the method used to identify domestication genes which required the researcher to pick candidate genes
and perhaps prematurely narrow the search overlooking indirect genetic effects. Little is known about the underlying genetics of domestication Olsen said.
We decided to look at genetic mechanisms for modifying plant phenotypes that hadn't been explored before in part
because not much data is available. The new work examines the possibility that two indirect effects--the influence of the genetic background on the expression of a gene (called epistasis)
and the effects of the environment on the expression of genes--might have slowed the selection of plants with the desired traits.
Epistasis and environmental effects in domestication genesby selecting animals for coat color animal breeders may have stabilized certain epistatic
and environmental interactions in companion animals (see photos at right). But when the plant scientists looked at comparable genetic mechanisms in domesticated plants they found the reverse to be true.
Farmers seem to have selected for plant variants that were insensitive to epistatic and environmental interactions.
or linked to genes that underlie this trait a major one called QTL 1 and a minor one called QTL2.
In this as in other epistatic interactions the effect of an allele at one location depends on the state of the allele at the other location.
But when wild and domesticated plants are crossed these genetic background effects are not symmetric. Shattering in plants with a wild green-millet allele at the QTLI location depends on the allele at the QTL2 location.
In contrast shattering in plants with the foxtail-millet allele at QTL1 is unaffected by the allele at the QTL2 location.
In the limited number of examples at their disposal the scientists found it to be generally true that that domesticated alleles were less sensitive to genetic background than wild alleles.
The domestication genes in other words tended to be ones that would produce the same result even if they were introduced into a different crop variety.
Teosinte provides a good example of the sensitivity of gene expression to the environment. Teosinte is affected strongly by crowding.
When a teosinte plant with a wild tb1 gene is backcrossed repeatedly with maize it produces highly branched plants in uncrowded growing conditions
but plants with smaller lateral branches when it is crowded. Again however the effect is not symmetric.
plants with the domesticated tb1 gene allele are unbranched whether or not they are crowded. Unlike companion-animal breeders early farmers seem to have selected domestication-gene alleles that are insensitive to genetic background and to the environment.
This process would have been slow unrewarding and difficult to understand because the effects of gene variants on the plant weren't stable.
But once sensitive alleles had been replaced with robust ones breeders would have been able to exert strong selection pressure on plant traits shaping them much more easily than before
and the pace of domestication would have picked up. No wonder the archeological record indicates there were false starts failed efforts and long delays.
and lead author of the study published April 16 in the journal Bioscience. Traditional shade grown coffee is cultivated under a diverse canopy of native forest trees in dense to moderate shade.
and the different ways to manage it for biodiversity shade grown coffee only seems to be grown in a few regions says Jha.
Full sun coffee plantations often result in deforestation loss of biodiversity and soil depletion while leaving communities more vulnerable to flooding and landslides.
Research presented today at the Society for General Microbiology's Annual Meeting in Liverpool shows that the disease-causing E coli O157:
The above story is provided based on materials by Society for General Microbiology. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length h
As biologists and specifically as botanists what really struck us was the diversity of fresh plant crops mostly of subtropical/tropical origin that were available in ethnic markets in the northern U s. Like their ancestors who traveled from Europe Africa
Such a strong relationship to food has had a profound impact on human health by reshaping environmental biodiversity influencing the diets of neighbors and preserving elements of culture.
Some old-growth characteristics may be desirable for managers to incorporate into managed stands such as increasing coarse woody debris to levels consistent with natural stands in order to increase habitat potential and biodiversity.
This improved understanding of plant growth and development in microgravity has important implications for improving plant growth and biomass production On earth.
whereas nutrient-rich forests can use that carbon to enhance biomass production. Until now scientific models to predict forest carbon sequestration on a global scale had considered only the amount of nitrogen in the soil
and so the plants produce less biomass says Obersteiner. Furthermore the study showed that nutrient-rich ecosystems also generally have more stable ground organic material
That's why researchers at the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Kansas State university have developed new tests they hope will mitigate the spread of these viruses.
but also to address the new diseases that are just destroying everything said Dick Hesse director of diagnostic virology at the lab and professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology.
Hesse says there are at least three viruses with similar symptoms affecting pigs two of which have entered the United states for the first time--porcine epidemic diarrhea virus and delta coronavirus.
Swine specialists and molecular diagnosticians at the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory have developed tests to detect which virus is infecting the pigs.
and how high the immunity is you can make adjustments on how you treat the virus Hesse said.
Dr. Natia Kopaliani Dr. David Tarkhnishvili and colleagues from the Institute of Ecology at Ilia State university in Georgia and from the Tbilisi Zoo in Georgia used a range of genetic techniques to extract
Microsatellite markers mutate easily as they do not have any discernible purpose in the genome
The above story is provided based on materials by American Genetic Association. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
and become a source of biomass suitable for producing bioethanol. As Jon Veramendi head of the plant Agrobiotechnology research group explained tobacco plants as a source of biomass for producing bioethanol could be an alternative to traditional tobacco growing
which is in decline in the USA and in Europe because it cannot compete with emerging countries like China.
However if the plants are used for producing biofuels the researchers go for a higher-density crop similar to that of forage crops:
and the output is taken to the biomass processing factory. That way it is possible to obtain up to 160 tonnes of matter per hectare over the whole cycle.
What is more when the tobacco is integrated into a biorefinery it is possible to extract interesting by-products like proteins (they constitute up to 30%of the dry weight of the plant
or animals solasenol (used to produce vitamins E and K) and xanthophylls (an additive in chicken feeds).
The researchers consider that one of the alternatives to the traditional use of tobacco could be to produce biofuel.
If humankind does not control the growth in greenhouse gas emissions in the next decade it increases the likelihood that we will need negative-emissions technologies such as bioenergy with CO2 capture
When you see how elegantly nature solves problems you realise how deadlocked the world of technology often is says Wendelin Jan Stark a professor from the ETH Department of chemistry and Applied Biosciences.
The research published today in Current Biology the shows that Indonesia Australia and New zealand all score high on responsibility for preserving irreplaceable species. The researchers examined nearly 10000 bird species
and identified more than 100 areas where additional protection efforts would help safeguard avian biodiversity. We used genetic data to identify the bird species that have the fewest relatives on the'Tree of Life'that is
which species score highest on the'evolutionary distinctness'index explains SFU biologist Arne Mooers one of the six authors of a study that was seven years in the making.
The index was created by former SFU Phd student Dave Redding another of the trio and was applied to an updated version of the first global tree of birds published in 2012 by the group in Nature.
The data also offer some insight into large-scale processes affecting biodiversity Mooers says. We also found that
Both are major goals for conservation biology. The new rankings will be used in a major conservation initiative called the Edge of Existence program at the London Zoo.
These findings show that pollutants that accumulate in the Polar regions are an important threat to biodiversity.
Professor Taylor and colleagues together with Vitacress used funding from an Industrial Partnership Award (IPA) from the Biotechnology and Biological sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to work out the genetics of processable salad leaves
which regions of the lettuce genome were responsible for these desirable characteristics. As a result of this research the scientists have initiated a breeding programme in
which crop breeders are selectively breeding plants with the genetic material responsible for leaves with a longer shelf-life.
So we've used fundamental biological knowledge and applied it both through the genetic route
and through crop production techniques to help the company improve the quality of their product she adds.
Results are reported in the April edition of the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. The trial demonstrated that olestra--a zero-calorie fat substitute found in low-calorie snack foods such as Pringles--could reduce the levels of serum polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBS) in people who had been exposed to PCBS.
but also to produce crops for biofuels according to new computer models by Stanford scientists. This co-location approach could prove especially useful in sunny arid regions such as the southwestern United states where water is said scarce Sujith Ravi who is conducting postdoctoral research with professors David Lobell and Chris Field both
Co-located solar-biofuel systems could be a novel strategy for generating two forms of energy from uncultivable lands:
electricity from solar infrastructure and easily transportable liquid fuel from biofuel cultivation said Ravi the lead author of a new study published in a recent issue of the journal Environmental science & Technology that details the idea.
Native to North and South america the prickly plant can be used to produce liquid ethanol a biofuel that can be mixed with gasoline
#Farming for improved ecosystem services seen as economically feasibleby changing row-crop management practices in economically and environmentally stable ways US farms could contribute to improved water quality biological diversity pest suppression
and soil fertility while helping to stabilize the climate according to an article in the May issue of Bioscience.
The article based on research conducted over 25 years at the Kellogg Biological Station in southwest Michigan further reports that Midwest farmers especially those with large farms appear willing to change their farming practices to provide these ecosystem services in exchange for payments.
and six coauthors associated with the Kellogg Biological Station which is part of the Long term Ecological Research Network.
The above story is provided based on materials by American Institute of Biological sciences. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
But growing crops for biofuel requires thousands of acres of land and vast quantities of fertilizer and water.
and the health care system in general says Christopher Adams M d. Ph d. UI associate professor of internal medicine and molecular physiology and biophysics.
More muscle less fatin a new study published online April 9 in the Journal of Biological Chemistry Adams searched for a small molecule compound that might be used to treat muscle atrophy.
He zeroed in on tomatidine using a systems biology tool called the Connectivity Map which was developed at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard university.
Adams discovered that tomatidine generates changes in gene expression that are essentially opposite to the changes that occur in muscle cells
and his colleagues have founded a biotech company called Emmyon. The company recently received funding from the National institutes of health to develop strategies for preserving muscle mass
Liberia's status as a biodiversity hotspot and the fact that it is home to some of the last viable and threatened wildlife populations in West Africa has received little media attention in the past.
This is partly because the many years of violent conflict in Liberia from 1989 to 1997 and from 2002 to 2003 thwarted efforts of biologists to conduct biological surveys.
Here accurate biological datasets on the distribution and abundance of wildlife populations are key for making evidence-based management decisions that balance economic and conservation priorities.
The biofilm embedded microbes are studied not only in a static system but also in bioreactors which simulate the continuous flow of milk or whey.
This is closer to the real system Anand says though the bioreactors are pressurized not like the automatic processing system.
The environmental fate of black carbon is understood not well said study co-author Caroline Masiello a Rice biogeochemist who began studying black carbon with Druffel in the 1990s.
#Synthetic gene circuits pump up cell signals in study of neurodegenerative diseasessynthetic genetic circuitry created by researchers at Rice university is helping them see for the first time how to regulate cell mechanisms that degrade the misfolded proteins implicated in Parkinson's Huntington
The Rice lab of chemical and biomolecular engineer Laura Segatori has designed a sophisticated circuit that signals increases in the degradation of proteins by the cell's ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS). The research appears online today in Nature Communications.
The Rice team added to the cell a set of genetic circuits called Degradation On--Deg-On for short.
or activate degradation said Segatori Rice's T N. Law Assistant professor of Chemical and Biomolecular engineering and an assistant professor of biochemistry and cell biology.
but this genetic circuit makes it possible to link enhanced degradation to an increase in output.
The team included graduate student and lead author Wenting Zhao undergraduate Claire Mcwhite and Rice alumnus Matthew Bonem in collaboration with Jonathan Silberg an associate professor of biochemistry and cell biology at Rice.
or genes that can increase proteasomal activity she said. This will help us rationally design compounds
Misfolding and aggregation are among the main challenges in the fields of bioengineering and biotechnology.
The National Science Foundation the Welch Foundation and the Sid W. Richardson Foundation through a Rice Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering Medical Innovations Award Grant supported the research.
While branching has relevance in agriculture it is also very important in bioenergy crop production. Brookhaven plant biologist Benjamin Babst and Brittany Wienclaw who was a summer intern as part of the DOE Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship program at Brookhaven
while working on her degree at the University of New Haven conducted an essential experiment to verify that sugars play a key role in apical dominance and the regulation of plant bud growth.
which has an ongoing interest in furthering understanding of plant functions that have relevance to generating bioenergy.
And the amount of branching also influences how much biomass a plant has--of particular interest
because stems represent the bulk of the biomass that we can harvest for biofuels. Understanding the factors that influence branching in the pea plants used in this study may offer valuable insights to help optimize the growth of bioenergy grasses such as switchgrass
and sorghum--where because the buds and shoot tips are inaccessible without damaging the plant
Because the structure of human bones can inform us about the lifestyles of the individuals they belong to they can provide valuable clues for biological anthropologists looking at past cultures.
Work published by biological anthropologist Dr Colin Shaw (also Cambridge university) has enabled Macintosh to interpret this male decline in relation to Cambridge university students Using Shaw's study of bone rigidity among modern Cambridge university undergraduates Macintosh
Long-term biomechanical analyses of bones following the transition to farming in Central europe haven't been carried out.
or genetics said Macintosh. Because the skeleton holds a record of the loading it experiences during life it can provide important clues about the behaviour of past people through prolonged cultural change.
although restored land was not as productive as land that had not been degraded restoration efforts increased biodiversity by 44%and provision of ecosystem services by 25%.
and specifically'Target 15'of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets to restore 15%of the world's degraded ecosystems by 2020.
He conclude Ecosystems are a rich source of biodiversity and the services they provide are relied upon by local people.
and the full title of the project is'Restoration of Forest Landscapes for Biodiversity Conservation and Rural development'.
The scientists introduced into mice the gene that codes for the normal bank vole prion protein thereby generating mice that express bank vole Prp but not mouse Prp.
They found that all of these foreign-species prions can cause prion disease in the transgenic mice
because the transgenic mice express higher levels of bank vole Prp than are naturally present in the voles.
Because the transgenic mice develop prion disease rapidly the scientists propose that the mice will be useful tools in studying the processes by
We're asking that conservationists as well as other sectoral interests carefully weigh up the biodiversity costs
and biofuel a breakthrough that will mean using fewer chemicals less energy and creating fewer environmental pollutants.
One of the largest impediments for the pulp and paper industry as well as the emerging biofuel industry is a polymer found in wood known as lignin says Shawn Mansfield a professor of Wood Science at the University of British columbia.
and is a processing impediment for pulp paper and biofuel. Currently the lignin must be removed a process that requires significant chemicals and energy and causes undesirable waste.
Researchers used genetic engineering to modify the lignin to make it easier to break down without adversely affecting the tree's strength.
Researchers had tried previously to tackle this problem by reducing the quantity of lignin in trees by suppressing genes
The study a collaboration between researchers at the University of British columbia the University of Wisconsin-Madison Michigan State university is funded a collaboration by Great lakes Bioenergy Research center was published today in Science.
Researchers used genetic engineering to introduce ester bonds into the lignin backbone that are easier to break down chemically.
and used in other applications such as adhesives insolation carbon fibres and paint additives. Genetic modificationthe genetic modification strategy employed in this study could also be used on other plants like grasses to be used as a new kind of fuel to replace petroleum.
Genetic modification can be a contentious issue but there are ways to ensure that the genes do not spread to the forest.
These techniques include growing crops away from native stands so cross-pollination isn't possible; introducing genes to make both the male and female trees or plants sterile;
and harvesting trees before they reach reproductive maturity. In the future genetically modified trees could be planted like an agricultural crop not in our native forests.
Poplar is a potential energy crop for the biofuel industry because the tree grows quickly and on marginal farmland.
Lignin makes up 20 to 25 per cent of the tree. We're a petroleum reliant society says Mansfield.
This work appears in the journal Global Change Biology. The model lets you look at one of those goals individually
Our crop plants reflect many millions of years of evolution in the wild under these competitive conditions said U. of I. plant biology professor Stephen P. Long also a co-author on the study.
The model looks at biological functions such as photosynthesis and water use as well as the physical environment.
The researchers looked at how the plant's biology changed with varying structural traits such as leaf area distributions how the leaves are arranged vertically on the stalk and the angles of the leaves.
Most of the genetic approaches have looked at very specific traits Kumar said. They haven't looked at restructuring the whole canopy.
and costs associated with genetic engineering. This kind of numerical approach--using realistic models of plant canopies--can provide a method for trying many more trait combinations than are possible through field breeding Drewry said.
Long also is a professor of crop sciences and a faculty member in the Institute for Genomic Biology.
Sagebrush biology and physiology can be the biggest hurdle for restoration managers. To Arkle's mind the study results argue for maintaining
or close genetic matches could improve recruitment. Controlling nonnative plants with herbicides and fungal infections has been tried with mixed results.
#New approach to detecting changes in GM foodsdoes genetic manipulation causes unintended changes in food quality and composition?
A new study in the March issue of The Plant Genome demonstrates a potentially more powerful approach to answering them.
In research led by Owen Hoekenga a Cornell University adjunct assistant professor scientists extracted roughly 1000 biochemicals or metabolites from the fruit of tomatoes.
When the scientists compared the biochemicals of the GM tomato and a wide assortment other non-GM tomatoes including modern
Thus although the GM tomato was distinct from its parent its metabolic profile still fell within the normal range of biochemical diversity exhibited by the larger group of varieties.
However the biochemicals related to fruit ripening did show a significant difference--no surprise because that was the intent of the genetic modification.
The finding suggests little or no accidental biochemical change due to genetic modification in this case as well as a useful way to address consumer concerns about unintended effects in general Hoekenga says.
He explains that the FDA already requires developers of GM CROPS to compare a handful of key nutritional compounds in GM varieties relative to their non-GM parents.
The process is designed to catch instances where genetic manipulation may have affected nutritional quality for example. Moreover comparing a GM variety to diverse cultivars can help scientists
and consumers put into context any biochemical changes that are observed. We accept that there isn't just one kind of tomato at the farmer's market.
We look for diverse food experiences Hoekenga says. So we think that establishing the range of acceptable metabolic variability in food can be useful for examining GM varieties.
When crossing parent plants for example breeders often like to track the genes underlying their trait of interest such as resistance to a pathogen.
That's because pinpointing offspring that carry the right genes is often faster and easier than examining plants for the trait itself.
But sometimes so many genes contribute to a single trait that figuring out which genes are involved in the first place becomes onerous.
This is where Hoekenga thinks his style of research and analysis might one day help. We're trying to describe at the biochemical level what might be responsible for a trait.
And from that you could extract genetic information to use in breeding. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Crop science Society of America.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference e
#Attracting wild bees to farms is good insurance policyinvesting in habitat that attracts and supports wild bees in farms is not only an effective approach to helping enhance crop pollination
and antidiabetic bioactivities of the flavanols in cocoa particularly at the low doses employed for the present study the researchers state.
#First peanut genome sequencedthe International Peanut Genome Initiative--a group of multinational crop geneticists who have been working in tandem for the last several years--has sequenced successfully the peanut's genome.
Scott Jackson director of the University of Georgia Center for Applied Genetic Technologies in the College of Agricultural and Environmental sciences serves as chair of the International Peanut Genome Initiative or IPGI.
The new peanut genome sequence will be available to researchers and plant breeders across the globe to aid in the breeding of more productive and more resilient peanut varieties.
and build more secure livelihoods said plant geneticist Rajeev Varshney of the International Crops Research Institute for Semiarid Tropics in India who serves on the IPGI.
The effort to sequence the peanut genome has been underway for several years. While peanuts were bred successfully for intensive cultivation for thousands of years relatively little was known about the legume's genetic structure because of its complexity according to Peggy Ozias-Akins a plant geneticist on the UGA Tifton campus who also works with the IPGI
and is director of the UGA Institute of Plant Breeding Genetics and Genomics. Until now we've bred peanuts relatively blindly as compared to other crops said IPGI plant geneticist David Bertioli of the Universidade de Brasã lia.
We've had less information to work with than we do with many crops which have been researched more thoroughly and understood.
The peanut in fields today is the result of a natural cross between two wild species Arachis duranensis and Arachis ipaensis
Because its ancestors were two different species today's peanut is a polyploid meaning the species can carry two separate genomes designated A and B subgenomes.
To map the peanut's structure researchers sequenced the genomes of the two ancestral parents
The sequences provide researchers access to 96 percent of all peanut genes in their genomic context providing the molecular map needed to more quickly breed drought-and disease-resistant lower-input and higher-yielding
and then used by the IPGI to better understand the peanut genome. The genomes of the two ancestor species provide excellent models for the genome of the cultivated peanut.
A. duranenis serves as a model for the A subgenome of the cultivated peanut while A. ipaensis represents the B subgenome.
Knowing the genome sequences of the two parent species will allow researchers to recognize the cultivated peanut's genomic structure by differentiating between the two subgenomes present in the plants.
Being able to see the two separate structural elements also will aid future gene marker development-the determination of links between a gene's presence and a physical characteristic of the plant.
Understanding the structure of the peanut's genome will lay the groundwork for new varieties with traits like added disease resistance and drought tolerance.
In addition these genome sequences will serve as a guide for the assembly of the cultivated peanut genome that will help to decipher genomic changes that led to peanut domestication which was marked by increases in seed number and size.
The genome sequence assemblies and additional information are available at http://peanutbase. org/files/genomes/./The International Peanut Genome Initiative brings together scientists from the U s. China Brazil India
and Israel to delineate peanut genome sequences characterize the genetic and phenotypic variation in cultivated and wild peanuts and develop genomic tools for peanut breeding.
The initial sequencing was carried out by the BGI Shenzhen China known previously as the Beijing Genomics Institute.
Assembly was done at the BGI the USDA-ARS in Ames Iowa and at the University of California Davis. The project was funded by the peanut industry through the Peanut Foundation and by MARS Inc. and three Chinese academies (Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences Chinese Academy of Agricultural
While the sequencing of the peanut can be seen as a great leap forward in plant genetics
and genomics it also has the potential to be a large step forward for stabilizing agriculture in developing countries said Dave Hoisington program director for the U s. Agency for International Development Feed the Future Peanut
With the release of the peanut genome sequence researchers will now have much better tools available to accelerate the development of new peanut varieties with improved yields
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