Plant biotechnology

Evaluation of strategies for improving the transgene expression in an oleaginous microalga Scenedesmus acutus

Genetic transformation of microalgae has been hampered by inefficient transgene expression, limiting the progress of microalgal biotechnology. Many vector tools and strategies have been developed in recent yea...

Authors: Anongpat Suttangkakul, Anchalee Sirikhachornkit, Piyada Juntawong, Wilasinee Puangtame, Thitikorn Chomtong, Suchada Srifa, Sukhita Sathitnaitham, Wasawat Dumrongthawatchai, Kanidtha Jariyachawalid and Supachai Vuttipongchaikij

Expression of Rift Valley fever virus N-protein in Nicotiana benthamiana for use as a diagnostic antigen

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV), the causative agent of Rift Valley fever, is an enveloped single-stranded negative-sense RNA virus in the genus Phlebovirus, family Bunyaviridae. The virus is spread by infected mo...

Authors: Sandiswa Mbewana, Ann E. Meyers, Brandon Weber, Vuyokazi Mareledwane, Maryke L. Ferreira, Phelix A. O. Majiwa and Edward P. Rybicki

Characterization of a strong and constitutive promoter from the Arabidopsis serine carboxypeptidase-like gene AtSCPL30 as a potential tool for crop transgenic breeding

Transgenic technology has become an important technique for crop genetic improvement. The application of well-characterized promoters is essential for developing a vector system for efficient genetic transform...

Authors: Pingping Jiang, Ke Zhang, Zhaohua Ding, Qiuxia He, Wendi Li, Shuangfeng Zhu, Wen Cheng, Kewei Zhang and Kunpeng Li

Overexpression of a rice BAHD acyltransferase gene in switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) enhances saccharification

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a promising bioenergy feedstock because it can be grown on marginal land and produces abundant biomass. Recalcitrance of the lignocellulosic components of the switchgrass cell...

Authors: Guotian Li, Kyle C. Jones, Aymerick Eudes, Venkataramana R. Pidatala, Jian Sun, Feng Xu, Chengcheng Zhang, Tong Wei, Rashmi Jain, Devon Birdseye, Patrick E. Canlas, Edward E. K. Baidoo, Phat Q. Duong, Manoj K. Sharma, Seema Singh, Deling Ruan…

Oil body bound oleosin-rhFGF9 fusion protein expressed in safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) stimulates hair growth and wound healing in mice

Fibroblast growth factor 9 (FGF9) is a heparin-binding growth factor, secreted by both mesothelial and epithelial cells, which participates in hair follicle regeneration, wound healing, and bone development. A...

Authors: Jingbo Cai, Ruicheng Wen, Wenqing Li, Xiuran Wang, Haishan Tian, Shanyong Yi, Linbo Zhang, Xiaokun Li, Chao Jiang and Haiyan Li

Acetosyringone treatment duration affects large T-DNA molecule transfer to rice callus

Large T-DNA fragment transfer has long been a problem for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Although vector systems, such as the BIBAC series, were successfully developed for the purpose, low transformation ...

Authors: Jing Xi, Minesh Patel, Shujie Dong, Qiudeng Que and Rongda Qu

The importance of genotype identity, genetic heterogeneity, and bioinformatic handling for properly assessing genomic variation in transgenic plants

The advent of –omics technologies has enabled the resolution of fine molecular differences among individuals within a species. DNA sequence variations, such as single nucleotide polymorphisms or small deletion...

Authors: Jean-Michel Michno and Robert M. Stupar

RNase I_f -treated quantitative PCR for dsRNA quantitation of RNAi trait in genetically modified crops

RNA interference (RNAi) technology has been widely used to knockdown target genes via post-transcriptional silencing. In plants, RNAi is used as an effective tool with diverse applications being developed such...

Authors: Po-Hao Wang, Greg Schulenberg, Shannon Whitlock, Andrew Worden, Ning Zhou, Stephen Novak and Wei Chen

A bioinformatics approach for identifying transgene insertion sites using whole genome sequencing data

Genetically modified crops (GM crops) have been developed to improve the agricultural traits of modern crop cultivars. Safety assessments of GM crops are of paramount importance in research at developmental st...

Authors: Doori Park, Su-Hyun Park, Yong Wook Ban, Youn Shic Kim, Kyoung-Cheul Park, Nam-Soo Kim, Ju-Kon Kim and Ik-Young Choi

Comprehensive in silico allergenicity assessment of novel protein engineered chimeric Cry proteins for safe deployment in crops

Development of chimeric Cry toxins by protein engineering of known and validated proteins is imperative for enhancing the efficacy and broadening the insecticidal spectrum of these genes. Expression of novel C...

Authors: Maniraj Rathinam, Shweta Singh, Debasis Pattanayak and Rohini Sreevathsa

A hyper-thermostable α-amylase from Pyrococcus furiosus accumulates in Nicotiana tabacum as functional aggregates

Alpha amylase hydrolyzes α-bonds of polysaccharides such as starch and produces malto-oligosaccharides. Its starch saccharification applications make it an essential enzyme in the textile, food and brewing ind...

Authors: Hong Zhu, L. Bruce Reynolds and Rima Menassa

Expression and functional analyses of a Kinesin gene GhKIS13A1 from cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) fiber

Cotton fiber, a natural fiber widely used in the textile industry, is differentiated from single cell of ovule epidermis. A large number of genes are believed to be involved in fiber formation, but so far only...

Authors: Yan-Jun Li, Shou-Hong Zhu, Xin-Yu Zhang, Yong-Chang Liu, Fei Xue, Lan-Jie Zhao and Jie Sun

Somatic cell selection for chlorsulfuron-resistant mutants in potato: identification of point mutations in the acetohydroxyacid synthase gene

Somatic cell selection in plants allows the recovery of spontaneous mutants from cell cultures. When coupled with the regeneration of plants it allows an effective approach for the recovery of novel traits in ...

Authors: Philippa J. Barrell, Julie M. Latimer, Samantha J. Baldwin, Michelle L. Thompson, Jeanne M.E. Jacobs and Anthony J. Conner

Development of plant-produced protein body vaccine candidates for bluetongue virus

Bluetongue is a disease of domestic and wild ruminants caused by bluetongue virus serotypes (BTV), which have caused serious outbreaks worldwide. Commercially available vaccines are live-attenuated or inactiva...

Authors: Albertha R. van Zyl, Ann E. Meyers and Edward P. Rybicki

Pollen-mediated gene flow from transgenic to non-transgenic switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) in the field

Switchgrass is C₄ perennial grass species that is being developed as a cellulosic bioenergy feedstock. It is wind-pollinated and considered to be an obligate outcrosser. Genetic engineering has been used to alter...

Authors: Reginald Millwood, Madhugiri Nageswara-Rao, Rongjian Ye, Ellie Terry-Emert, Chelsea R. Johnson, Micaha Hanson, Jason N. Burris, Charles Kwit and C. Neal Stewart Jr

Improved tissue culture conditions for the emerging C₄ model Panicum hallii

Panicum hallii Vasey (Hall’s panicgrass) is a compact, perennial C₄ grass in the family Poaceae, which has potential to enable bioenergy research for switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.)....

Authors: Joshua N. Grant, Jason N. Burris, C. Neal Stewart Jr and Scott C. Lenaghan

Highly efficient mesophyll protoplast isolation and PEG-mediated transient gene expression for rapid and large-scale gene characterization in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz)

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is a major crop extensively cultivated in the tropics as both an important source of calories and a promising source for biofuel production. Although stable gene expression have...

Authors: Jun-Zheng Wu, Qin Liu, Xiao-Shan Geng, Kai-Mian Li, Li-Juan Luo and Jin-Ping Liu

The role of community engagement in the adoption of new agricultural biotechnologies by farmers: the case of the Africa harvest tissue-culture banana in Kenya

The tissue culture banana (TCB) is a biotechnological agricultural innovation that has been adopted widely in commercial banana production. In 2003, Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International (AH) initiat...

Authors: Sunita V. S. Bandewar, Florence Wambugu, Emma Richardson and James V. Lavery

Identification of two transcription factors activating the expression of OsXIP in rice defence response

Xylanase inhibitors have been confirmed to be involved in plant defence. OsXIP is a XIP-type rice xylanase inhibitor, yet its transcriptional regulation remains unknown.

Authors: Yihua Zhan, Xiangyu Sun, Guozeng Rong, Chunxiao Hou, Yingying Huang, Dean Jiang and Xiaoyan Weng

Transcriptomic response of wolf spider, Pardosa pseudoannulata, to transgenic rice expressing Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ab protein

Bacillum thuringiensis (Bt) toxin produced in Cry1-expressing genetically modified rice (Bt rice) is highly effective to control lepidopteran pests, which reduces the needs for synthet...

Authors: Juan Wang, Yuande Peng, Kaifu Xiao, Baoyang Wei, Jilin Hu, Zhi Wang, Qisheng Song and Xuguo Zhou

Overexpression of AtOxR gene improves abiotic stresses tolerance and vitamin C content in Arabidopsis thaliana

Abiotic stresses are serious threats to plant growth, productivity and result in crop loss worldwide, reducing average yields of most major crops. Although abiotic stresses might elicit different plant respons...

Authors: Yuanyuan Bu, Bo Sun, Aimin Zhou, Xinxin Zhang, Testuo Takano and Shenkui Liu

High-efficiency CRISPR/Cas9 multiplex gene editing using the glycine tRNA-processing system-based strategy in maize

CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing strategy has been applied to a variety of species and the tRNA-processing system has been used to compact multiple gRNAs into one synthetic gene for manipulating multiple genes in rice.

Authors: Weiwei Qi, Tong Zhu, Zhongrui Tian, Chaobin Li, Wei Zhang and Rentao Song

Protoplast isolation, transient transformation of leaf mesophyll protoplasts and improved Agrobacterium-mediated leaf disc infiltration of Phaseolus vulgaris: tools for rapid gene expression analysis

Phaseolus vulgaris is one of the most extensively studied model legumes in the world. The P. vulgaris genome sequence is available; therefore, the need for an efficient and rapid trans...

Authors: Kalpana Nanjareddy, Manoj-Kumar Arthikala, Lourdes Blanco, Elizabeth S. Arellano and Miguel Lara

Diversity of ABC transporter genes across the plant kingdom and their potential utility in biotechnology

The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter gene superfamily is ubiquitous among extant organisms and prominently represented in plants. ABC transporters act to transport compounds across cellular membranes and...

Authors: Thomas S. Lane, Caroline S. Rempe, Jack Davitt, Margaret E. Staton, Yanhui Peng, Douglas Edward Soltis, Michael Melkonian, Michael Deyholos, James H. Leebens-Mack, Mark Chase, Carl J. Rothfels, Dennis Stevenson, Sean W. Graham, Jun Yu, Tao Liu, J. Chris Pires…

Novel strong promoter of antimicrobial peptides gene pro-SmAMP2 from chickweed (Stellaria media)

In a previous study we found that in chickweed the expression level of the pro-SmAMP2 gene was comparable or even higher to that of the β-actin gene. This high level of the gene expression has attracted our atten...

Authors: Roman A. Komakhin, Denis A. Vysotskii, Rahim R. Shukurov, Vera D. Voblikova, Vera V. Komakhina, Svetlana R. Strelnikova, Ekaterina M. Vetchinkina and Alexey V. Babakov

Genomic variation and DNA repair associated with soybean transgenesis: a comparison to cultivars and mutagenized plants

The safety of mutagenized and genetically transformed plants remains a subject of scrutiny. Data gathered and communicated on the phenotypic and molecular variation induced by gene transfer technologies will p...

Authors: Justin E. Anderson, Jean-Michel Michno, Thomas J. Y. Kono, Adrian O. Stec, Benjamin W. Campbell, Shaun J. Curtin and Robert M. Stupar

Monitoring the efficacy of mutated Allium sativum leaf lectin in transgenic rice against Rhizoctonia solani

Rice sheath blight, caused by Rhizoctonia solani is one of the most devastating diseases of rice. It is associated with significant reduction in rice productivity worldwide. A mutant variant of mannose binding Al...

Authors: Prithwi Ghosh, Senjuti Sen, Joydeep Chakraborty and Sampa Das

Plant expression and characterization of the transmission-blocking vaccine candidate PfGAP50

Despite the limited success after decades of intensive research and development efforts, vaccination still represents the most promising strategy to significantly reduce the disease burden in malaria endemic r...

Authors: Veronique Beiss, Holger Spiegel, Alexander Boes, Matthias Scheuermayer, Andreas Reimann, Stefan Schillberg and Rainer Fischer

Erratum to: Expression of the Streptococcus pneumoniae yoeB Chromosomal toxin gene causes Cell Death in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana

Authors: Fauziah Abu Bakar, Chew Chieng Yeo and Jennifer Ann Harikrishna

Cloning and characterization of the pepper CaPAO gene for defense responses to salt-induced leaf senescence

Pheophorbide a oxygenase (PAO) is an important enzyme in the chlorophyll catabolism pathway and is involved in leaf senescence. It opens the porphyrin macrocycle of pheophorbide a and finally forms the primary fl...

Authors: Huai-Juan Xiao, Ke-Ke Liu, Da-Wei Li, Mohamed Hamed Arisha, Wei-Guo Chai and Zhen-Hui Gong

Gene stacking in plant cell using recombinases for gene integration and nucleases for marker gene deletion

Practical approaches for multigene transformation and gene stacking are extremely important for engineering complex traits and adding new traits in transgenic crops. Trait deployment by gene stacking would gre...

Authors: Soumen Nandy, Shan Zhao, Bhuvan P Pathak, Muthusamy Manoharan and Vibha Srivastava

A Comparison of transgenic and wild type soybean seeds: analysis of transcriptome profiles using RNA-Seq

Soybean (Glycine max) has been bred for thousands of years to produce seeds rich in protein for human and animal consumption, making them an appealing bioreactor for producing valuable recombinant proteins at hig...

Authors: Kevin C. Lambirth, Adam M. Whaley, Ivory C. Blakley, Jessica A. Schlueter, Kenneth L. Bost, Ann E. Loraine and Kenneth J. Piller

Using proteomic analysis to investigate uniconazole-induced phytohormone variation and starch accumulation in duckweed (Landoltia punctata)

Duckweed (Landoltia punctata) has the potential to remediate wastewater and accumulate enormous amounts of starch for bioethanol production. Using systematical screening, we determined that the highest biomass an...

Authors: Mengjun Huang, Yang Fang, Yang Liu, Yanling Jin, Jiaolong Sun, Xiang Tao, Xinrong Ma, Kaize He and Hai Zhao

Integrated DNA walking system to characterize a broad spectrum of GMOs in food/feed matrices

In order to provide a system fully integrated with qPCR screening, usually used in GMO routine analysis, as well as being able to detect, characterize and identify a broad spectrum of GMOs in food/feed matrice...

Authors: Marie-Alice Fraiture, Philippe Herman, Loic Lefèvre, Isabel Taverniers, Marc De Loose, Dieter Deforce and Nancy H Roosens

Saccharification of rice straw by cellulase from a local Trichoderma harzianum SNRS3 for biobutanol production

Rice straw has shown to be a promising agricultural by-product in the bioconversion of biomass to value-added products. Hydrolysis of cellulose, a main constituent of lignocellulosic biomass, is a requirement ...

Authors: Nooshin Rahnama, Hooi Ling Foo, Nor Aini Abdul Rahman, Arbakariya Ariff and Umi Kalsom Md Shah

Molecular characterization of two A-type P450s, WsCYP98A and WsCYP76A from Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal: expression analysis and withanolide accumulation in response to exogenous elicitations

Pharmacological investigations position withanolides as important bioactive molecules demanding their enhanced production. Therefore, one of the pivotal aims has been to gain knowledge about complete biosynthe...

Authors: Satiander Rana, Wajid Waheed Bhat, Niha Dhar, Shahzad A Pandith, Sumeer Razdan, Ram Vishwakarma and Surrinder K Lattoo

Morphology and ploidy level determination of Pteris vittata callus during induction and regeneration

Morphological and ploidy changes of the arsenic hyperaccumulator, Chinese brake fern (Pteris vittata) callus tissue are described here to provide insight into fern life cycle biology and for possible biotechnolog...

Authors: Blake L Joyce, Shigetoshi Eda, John Dunlap and C Neal Stewart

Factors affecting polyhydroxybutyrate accumulation in mesophyll cells of sugarcane and switchgrass

Polyhydroxyalkanoates are linear biodegradable polyesters produced by bacteria as a carbon store and used to produce a range of bioplastics. Widespread polyhydroxyalkanoate production in C₄ crops would decrease p...

Authors: Richard B McQualter, Maria N Somleva, Leigh K Gebbie, Xuemei Li, Lars A Petrasovits, Kristi D Snell, Lars K Nielsen and Stevens M Brumbley

Transgene autoexcision in switchgrass pollen mediated by the Bxb1 recombinase

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) has a great potential as a platform for the production of biobased plastics, chemicals and energy mainly because of its high biomass yield on marginal land and low agricultural i...

Authors: Maria N Somleva, Chang Ai Xu, Kieran P Ryan, Roger Thilmony, Oliver Peoples, Kristi D Snell and James Thomson

Ectopic expression of human acidic fibroblast growth factor 1 in the medicinal plant, Salvia miltiorrhiza, accelerates the healing of burn wounds

Healing of burns is a complex process and very few effective treatments exist to facilitate the burn recovery process. Human acidic fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF-1) plays an important role in a variety of bi...

Authors: YaQing Tan, Kevin Yueju Wang, Nan Wang, GangQiang Li and DeHu Liu

Bactericidal activities of GM flax seedcake extract on pathogenic bacteria clinical strains

The antibiotic resistance of pathogenic microorganisms is a worldwide problem. Each year several million people across the world acquire infections with bacteria that are antibiotic-resistant, which is costly ...

Authors: Magdalena Zuk, Agata Dorotkiewicz-Jach, Zuzanna Drulis-Kawa, Malgorzata Arendt, Anna Kulma and Jan Szopa

Stable nuclear transformation of Pandorina morum

Volvocine green algae like Pandorina morum represent one of the most recent inventions of multicellularity diverged from their unicellular relatives. The 8–16 celled P. morum alga and its close multicellular rela...

Authors: Kai Lerche and Armin Hallmann

Identification of rapidly induced genes in the response of peanut (Arachis hypogaea) to water deficit and abscisic acid

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) is an important crop, but droughts often affect peanut production. There is a lack of genomic information available for peanut; therefore, little is known about the molecular basis of it...

Authors: Xiaoyun Li, Jiabao Lu, Shuai Liu, Xu Liu, Yingying Lin and Ling Li

An efficient method for stable protein targeting in grasses (Poaceae): a case study in Puccinellia tenuiflora

An efficient transformation method is lacking for most non-model plant species to test gene function. Therefore, subcellular localization of proteins of interest from non-model plants is mainly carried out thr...

Authors: Yuanyuan Bu, Mengqing Zhao, Bo Sun, Xinxin Zhang, Tetsuo Takano and Shenkui Liu

Development of late blight resistant potatoes by cisgene stacking

Phytophthora infestans, causing late blight in potato, remains one of the most devastating pathogens in potato production and late blight resistance is a top priority in potato breeding. The introduction of multi...

Authors: Kwang-Ryong Jo, Chol-Jun Kim, Sung-Jin Kim, Tok-Yong Kim, Marjan Bergervoet, Maarten A Jongsma, Richard GF Visser, Evert Jacobsen and Jack H Vossen

A novel quadruplex real-time PCR method for simultaneous detection of Cry2Aeand two genetically modified cotton events (GHB119 and T304-40)

To date, over 150 genetically modified (GM) crops are widely cultivated. To comply with regulations developed for genetically modified organisms (GMOs), including labeling policies, many detection methods for ...

Authors: Xiang Li, Xiuxiu Wang, Jielin Yang, Yueming Liu, Yuping He and Liangwen Pan

CdSe/ZnS Quantum Dots trigger DNA repair and antioxidant enzyme systems in Medicago sativacells in suspension culture

Nanoparticles appear to be promising devices for application in the agriculture and food industries, but information regarding the response of plants to contact with nano-devices is scarce. Toxic effects may b...

Authors: Ana R Santos, Ana S Miguel, Anca Macovei, Christopher Maycock, Alma Balestrazzi, Abel Oliva and Pedro Fevereiro

A cyclic nucleotide sensitive promoter reporter system suitable for bacteria and plant cells

Cyclic AMP (cAMP) and cyclic GMP (cGMP) have roles in relaying external signals and modifying gene expression within cells in all phyla. Currently there are no reporter systems suitable for bacteria and plant ...

Authors: Janet I Wheeler, Lubna Freihat and Helen R Irving

Development of selectable marker free, insect resistant, transgenic mustard (Brassica juncea) plants using Cre/loxmediated recombination

Antibiotic/ herbicide resistant marker genes have been proven to be very useful in plant transformation for the initial selection of desired transgenic events. However, presence of these genes in the genetical...

Authors: Arpita Bala, Amit Roy, Ayan Das, Dipankar Chakraborti and Sampa Das

Sensitivity of a real-time PCR method for the detection of transgenes in a mixture of transgenic and non-transgenic seeds of papaya (Carica papayaL.)

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 cu...

Authors: Madhugiri Nageswara-Rao, Charles Kwit, Sujata Agarwal, Mariah T Patton, Jordan A Skeen, Joshua S Yuan, Richard M Manshardt and C Neal Stewart Jr