(Press-News.org) A genetic discovery by a University of Calgary-led international research team offers a solution to a long-standing "green seed problem" that causes millions of dollars annually in canola crop losses.
Led by Marcus Samuel in the Faculty of Science, researchers from the U of C, the University of Toronto and the University of Bordeaux in France, have uncovered a plant gene regulatory network that could be genetically enhanced to prevent green seeds from occurring in mature canola.
"The annual loss in North America alone is close to $150 million from this de-greening issue," says Samuel, assistant professor and chair of the plant biology program in the Department of Biological Sciences.
"I want to see this basic science translated into a viable application. Canola is a huge cash crop and we have a real solution to a major problem."
The team's research, which includes five years of work by U of C faculty and students, was just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, a top-ranked journal.
Canola is the major cash crop in Alberta, which produces about 35 per cent of Canada's canola that generates in the province about $5 billion in revenue annually.
Across the country, the oilseed crop, whose seeds are pressed into canola oil, contributes about $15 billion a year to the Canadian economy.
However, every year around the time when canola matures, an unpredictable touch of a light frost can damage crop quality and cause severe losses.
"The frost doesn't kill off the plant, but it 'fixes' the green colour in the seeds," Samuel explains.
"Non-lethal" frosts, occurring at temperatures of zero to minus a degree or two Celsius, can result in up to 20 per cent green seeds – as opposed to mature brown or black seeds – in mature canola, he says.
This presence of chlorophyll (pigment that imparts green colour to plants) in mature seeds affects the oil quality, produces unpleasant flavours and odours, and reduces the oil's shelf life.
The research team investigated the de-greening process in a weed species called Arabidopsis, a "model" research plant whose complete genetic makeup is known and which is a close genetic relative of canola.
The research team, using a "mutant" strain of Arabidopsis that produces mature green seeds, performed genetic analyses that uncovered a pathway required for seed development and removal of unwanted chlorophyll during seed maturation.
They found that a protein that regulates gene expression (how the gene's information is used in synthesizing a functional gene product), called ABI3, is important in removing seed chlorophyll and enabling the seeds to de-green.
In an illustration of how basic science builds upon itself, the researchers identified that ABI3 regulated expression of a gene mapped in 2007 as controlling chlorophyll degradation and resulting in yellow versus green seed colour. This colour difference was first identified as a trait in the 1800s by genetics pioneer Gregor Johann Mendel, who used it as a marker to study the inheritance of traits.
The team also showed that a higher expression of ABI3 in Arabidopsis led to seeds that were able to de-green normally to produce mature brown-black seeds, despite harsh cold treatments.
"This overexpression allows these plants to withstand cold much better and for the system to be functional even though it's hit with cold," Samuel notes.
"Given the similarity of Arabidopsis and canola, it would be easy to isolate the same genes from canola and use transgenic technologies (which introduce new genes into organisms) to create varieties that could withstand freezing conditions yet produce mature brown-black seeds," he says.
"We actually have demonstrated in our laboratory tests that the canola genes work the same way."
INFORMATION:
The U of C team is working with Siniazo Biotech, a Canadian biotechnology firm, to file a provisional patent, and has contacted companies that have developed transgenic canola to gauge their interest (90 per cent of canola grown in Canada is transgenic or genetically modified for herbicide resistance).
Funding for the team's research was provided by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, U of C start-up grants and the University Research Grants Committee.
The full paper is available at: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/09/18/1308114110.full.pdf+html
Discovery offers bio-solution to severe canola crop losses
Research team uncovers gene regulatory network that controls seed 'de-greening'
2013-09-25
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Dams provide resilience to Columbia River basin from climate change impacts
2013-09-25
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Dams have been vilified for detrimental effects to water quality and fish passage, but a new study suggests that these structures provide "ecological and engineering resilience" to climate change in the Columbia River basin.
The study, which was published in the Canadian journal Atmosphere-Ocean, looked at the effects of climate warming on stream flow in the headwaters and downstream reaches of seven sub-basins of the Columbia River from 1950 to 2010. The researchers found that the peak of the annual snowmelt runoff has shifted to a few days earlier, ...
Some childhood cancer survivors may face subsequent renal problems
2013-09-25
PHILADELPHIA -- Adult survivors of childhood cancers who underwent certain chemotherapy treatments or kidney surgery had worse kidney function that did not recover over time. Because of this, they may be at higher risk for premature renal failure, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
"Current knowledge suggests childhood cancer survivors (CCS) have an increased risk for impaired kidney function after specific cancer therapies; however, it was not known whether their kidney ...
Diet and exercise for knee osteoarthritis produces greater improvement in knee pain, function
2013-09-25
Among overweight and obese adults with knee osteoarthritis, combining intensive diet and exercise led to less knee pain and better function after 18 months than diet-alone and exercise-alone, according to a study in the September 25 issue of JAMA.
"Osteoarthritis (OA) is the leading cause of chronic disability among older adults. Knee OA is the most frequent cause of mobility dependency and diminished quality of life, and obesity is a major risk factor for knee OA. Current treatments for knee OA are inadequate; of patients treated pharmacologically, only about half experience ...
Study findings question frequency of bone mineral density testing for predicting fracture risk
2013-09-25
A second bone mineral density (BMD) screening four years after a baseline measurement provided little additional value when assessing risk for hip or other major osteoporotic fracture among older men and women untreated for osteoporosis, and resulted in little change in risk classification used in clinical management, findings that question the common clinical practice of repeating a BMD test every 2 years, according to a study in the September 25 issue of JAMA.
Bone mineral density testing is important in the management of osteoporosis. Guidelines for initiating pharmacologic ...
Sensor-augmented insulin pump therapy reduces rate of severe hypoglycemic events
2013-09-25
Use of an insulin pump with a sensor that suspends insulin delivery when blood glucose falls below a set threshold reduced the rate of severe and moderate hypoglycemia among patients with type 1 diabetes and impaired awareness of hypoglycemia, according to a study in the September 25 issue of JAMA.
Hypoglycemia is a critical obstacle to the care of patients with type 1 diabetes. Sensor-augmented pump therapy with an automated insulin suspension or low glucose suspension function is a technology has the potential to reduce the duration and frequency of significant hypoglycemia, ...
Decision-making tool may help rule out brain hemorrhage for patients in emergency department
2013-09-25
Researchers have developed a simple clinical decision rule that may help doctors identify patients with headache in the emergency department who have subarachnoid hemorrhage (bleeding in a certain area of the brain), according to a study in the September 25 issue of JAMA.
"Headache accounts for approximately 2 percent of all emergency department visits, and subarachnoid hemorrhage is one of the most serious diagnoses, accounting for only 1 percent to 3 percent of these headaches. Although the decision to evaluate patients with new neurologic deficits is relatively straightforward, ...
Prevalence of poorer kidney function increases among adults 80 years of age and older
2013-09-25
Recent studies have shown that older adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD; defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate [GFR; a measure of kidney function] of less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) have a high prevalence of concurrent complications and increased risk for adverse outcomes including mortality, cardiovascular disease, and kidney failure. A prior study demonstrated an increase in CKD prevalence between 1988-1994 and 1999-2004 for the general U.S. population. However, trends in CKD prevalence have not been reported for the oldest old [defined as 80 years of age ...
Acupuncture & care may help depression; Pneumococcal infection vaccine; A disruptive medical journal
2013-09-25
Everything published by PLOS Medicine is open access: freely available for anyone to read, download, redistribute and otherwise use, as long as the authorship is properly attributed.
Please mention PLOS Medicine in your report and use the links below to take your readers straight to the online articles:
Acupuncture or counselling plus usual care may improve depression symptoms
Vaccine against pneumococcal infections has led to widespread reduction in serious disease
The importance of a medical journal being disruptive
Improved strategies are needed to assess ...
Vitamin D alone does little to protect bone health in postmenopausal women
2013-09-25
Chevy Chase, MD—While calcium supplements noticeably improved bone health in postmenopausal women, vitamin D supplements did not reduce bone turnover, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).
Bone turnover is the body's natural process for breaking down old bone. In young people, the body forms enough new bone to replace what is lost. After age 30, however, bone mass in women begins to decline and the process speeds up after menopause. Osteoporosis develops when the body cannot ...
Low testosterone may be linked to heart problems
2013-09-25
Chevy Chase, MD—Men who have low testosterone levels may have a slightly elevated risk of developing or dying from heart disease, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).
Testosterone is a key male sex hormone that helps maintain sex drive, sperm production and bone health. Over time, low testosterone may contribute to an increase in body fat, loss of body hair and muscle bulk.
"When we reviewed the existing research into testosterone and cardiovascular disease, a growing ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Thirty-year mystery of dissonance in the “ringing” of black holes explained
Less intensive works best for agricultural soil
Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation
Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests
Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome
UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership
New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll
Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes
University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025
Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025
AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials
New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age
Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker
Chips off the old block
Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia
Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry
Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19
Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity
State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections
Young adults drive historic decline in smoking
NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research
Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development
This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack
FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology
In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity
Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects
A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions
AI helps unravel a cause of Alzheimer's disease and identify a therapeutic candidate
Coalition of Autism Scientists critiques US Department of Health and Human Services Autism Research Initiative
Structure dictates effectiveness, safety in nanomedicine
[Press-News.org] Discovery offers bio-solution to severe canola crop lossesResearch team uncovers gene regulatory network that controls seed 'de-greening'