PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Seed size is controlled by maternally produced small RNAs, scientists find

Seed size is controlled by maternally produced small RNAs, scientists find
2012-04-13
(Press-News.org) AUSTIN, Texas--Seed size is controlled by small RNA molecules inherited from a plant's mother, a discovery from scientists at The University of Texas at Austin that has implications for agriculture and understanding plant evolution.

"Crop seeds provide nearly 70 to 80 percent of calories and 60 to 70 percent of all proteins consumed by the human population," said Z. Jeff Chen, the D.J. Sibley Centennial Professor in Plant Molecular Genetics at The University of Texas at Austin. "Seed production is obviously very important for agriculture and plant evolution."

Chen and his colleagues, including David Baulcombe at the University of Cambridge, provide the first genetic evidence that seed development is controlled by maternally inherited "small interfering RNAs," or siRNAs.

They published their research April 3 in the journal PNAS.

SiRNAs are known to control a number of aspects of growth and development in plants and animals. The researchers used Arabidopsis, a rapidly growing flowering plant in the mustard family, for the study.

In this case, the researchers found that the siRNAs influence the development of a seed's endosperm, which is the part of the seed that provides nutrients to the developing plant embryo, much like the placenta in mammals. The endosperm is also the source for most of the nutritional content of the seed for humans and animals.

Despite the importance of the endosperm, little has been known about the molecular mechanisms that govern its growth.

In flowering plant seeds, the embryo is formed by fusion of one paternal and one maternal genome, while the endosperm combines one paternal and two maternal genomes. This process of embryo and endosperm formation is known as "double fertilization."

The scientists found that when a female plant with a duplicate genome (known as a tetraploid) is crossed with a male plant with a normal genome (called a diploid), not only is there an increase in the maternal genome in their offspring's seed endosperm, but there is also an associated increase in maternal siRNAs.

Those maternal siRNAs decrease the expression of genes that lead to larger endosperm growth, meaning that the siRNAs create smaller seeds.

"Now we understand that siRNAs play a large role in sensing maternal and paternal genome imbalance and controlling seed development, and that maternal control is important," said Chen.

The researchers are working to find out how exactly siRNAs regulate gene expression in the endosperm and embryo and how they control seed size. These new findings will enable scientists to develop biotechnological tools for improving seed production and crop yield.

But Chen cautioned that "bigger isn't always better." In fact, in his experiments, seeds lacking the control of the maternally inherited siRNAs grew so large that they collapsed.

INFORMATION:

Chen's research is funded by the National Science Foundation Genetic Mechanisms program. It was also the result of a Fulbright Award he received to do research with Baulcombe, a Royal Society research professor, at Cambridge. Baulcombe is widely recognized for his pioneering and seminal research discovering the role of siRNAs in gene silencing in plants.

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Seed size is controlled by maternally produced small RNAs, scientists find

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

The Meat Factory Makes Community a Priority, in the March Issue of Food & Drink Digital

2012-04-13
When it comes to running a successful business over decades, passion is everything. At The Meat Factory, passion is no short supply. Whether it's supporting the community, its employees, progress in the realm of food safety, or Canada's agriculture industry, TMF is a company that is not content to do things half-heartedly. That passion is one of many traits that have served to cement the company as one of Canada's top food manufacturers. "We derive our livelihood from Canada and Canadian products, and we also have to be cognizant of the farmers and everyone else ...

Magnetic Analysis Corporation Remains Innovative at the Forefront of the Steel Industry, in Energy Digital

2012-04-13
Magnetics have been a major force in the steel industry for decades, and Magnetic Analysis Corporation has been at the forefront for just as long. Since first incorporating in 1928, MAC has been providing U.S. steel producers with innovative methods and equipment for testing their products. Today, the company has expanded its reach worldwide - but its dedication to groundbreaking technology is just as strong as ever. "Technology is always changing," says says Dudley Boden, Vice President of Sales at MAC. "Some eddy current and flux leakage technology ...

A Century Later, Haigh's Chocolates Still Values Progress and Tradition, in Food & Drink Digital

2012-04-13
In 1915, Alfred Haigh moved from Mount Gambier to Adelaide with one goal: the chocolate business. Nearly a century later, Haigh's Chocolates is still standing strong with six locations in Adelaide, Melbourne, and now in Sydney. Still family-owned and operated to this day, Haigh's Chocolates finds ways to embrace new technology while still staying true to the friendliness and quality ingredients that have made the company famous. When a company is built upon family, it can be difficult finding the right people for the job. When that job also involves a precise artisan ...

Duck-billed dinosaurs endured long, dark polar winters

Duck-billed dinosaurs endured long, dark polar winters
2012-04-13
Duck-billed dinosaurs that lived within Arctic latitudes approximately 70 million years ago likely endured long, dark polar winters instead of migrating to more southern latitudes, a recent study by researchers from the University of Cape Town, Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas and Temple University has found. The researchers published their findings, "Hadrosaurs Were Perennial Polar Residents," in the April issue of the journal The Anatomical Record: Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology. The study was funded through a grant from the National ...

The Groove Train Sparks Interests of Consumers and Investors Alike, in the March Issue of Food & Drink Digital

2012-04-13
Rocky Veneziano and brothersJoe and John Kolenda are all self-made businessmen, solemnly dedicated to the pursuit of a business that is efficient and vertically integrated. But though their business is serious, their aim is to make The Groove Train a thoroughly engaging experience for both food and coffee lovers throughout Australia. "All our stores have a certain vibe about them: retro, groovy, casual, funky," says Rocky. "We have big communal tables, booth seating and table top arcade games machines which are also used as tables." "A lot ...

Ventana Research Begins 2012 Value Index for Product Information Management

Ventana Research Begins 2012 Value Index for Product Information Management
2012-04-13
Ventana Research has begun its 2012 Value Index for Product Information Management. This 2012 Value Index will provide guidance that can enable organizations to ascertain the value of applications for addressing product information management. Using the Value Index, businesses and specific commerce, marketing, product, manufacturing and supply chain organizations will be able to evaluate vendors and their products and make choices based on an understanding of how well existing and new applications and technology best satisfy their needs. "The Value Index for ...

New technology tracks sparrow migration for first time from California to Alaska

2012-04-13
Using tiny tags to track a bird's location, biologists from PRBO Conservation Science (PRBO) have unlocked the mystery of where Golden-crowned Sparrows, which overwinter in California, go to breed in the spring. Published this week in the journal PLoS ONE, the study reveals for the first time the exact migration route of this small songbird to its breeding sites in coastal Alaska. During a time when birds are experiencing the negative impacts of climate and land-use changes, being able to pinpoint the most important breeding and stopover places is critical to prioritizing ...

Ocean acidification linked to larval oyster failure

2012-04-13
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Researchers at Oregon State University have definitively linked an increase in ocean acidification to the collapse of oyster seed production at a commercial oyster hatchery in Oregon, where larval growth had declined to a level considered by the owners to be "non-economically viable." A study by the researchers found that elevated seawater carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, resulting in more corrosive ocean water, inhibited the larval oysters from developing their shells and growing at a pace that would make commercial production cost-effective. As atmospheric ...

UCSF chancellor issues call-to-arms to patient advocates

UCSF chancellor issues call-to-arms to patient advocates
2012-04-13
In November 2011, a National Academy of Sciences committee issued a report calling for the creation of a "Google Maps"-like data network intended to revolutionize medical discovery, diagnosis and treatment. Today, the co-chair of that committee, UCSF Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann, MD, MPH, is issuing a call-to-arms to patient advocates to help make that idea a reality. In her editorial, reported in the April 11 issue of "Science Translational Medicine," Desmond-Hellmann calls on patient advocates to work with policy makers in the U.S. Congress and elsewhere to develop ...

Doggone Safe International Dog Bite Prevention Challenge Update

Doggone Safe International Dog Bite Prevention Challenge Update
2012-04-13
Plans for the International Dog Bite Prevention Challenge are well underway. Doggone Safe challenged its presenters to visit schools and educate 50,000 children about dog safety in a single month. The Challenge will occur during May in honor of Dog Bite Prevention Week (May 20-26, 2012). So far 57 presenters have pledged to educate over 18,000 kids in eight countries, five Canadian provinces and twenty four US states. Half of all children are bitten by a dog and most of the time the biter is the family dog or another dog known to the child. "The number of bites ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Intra-arterial tenecteplase for acute stroke after successful endovascular therapy

Study reveals beneficial microbes that can sustain yields in unfertilized fields

Robotic probe quickly measures key properties of new materials

Climate change cuts milk production, even when farmers cool their cows

Frozen, but not sealed: Arctic Ocean remained open to life during ice ages

Some like it cold: Cryorhodopsins

Demystifying gut bacteria with AI

Human wellbeing on a finite planet towards 2100: new study shows humanity at a crossroads

Unlocking the hidden biodiversity of Europe’s villages

Planned hydrogen refuelling stations may lead to millions of euros in yearly losses

Planned C-sections increase the risk of certain childhood cancers

Adults who have survived childhood cancer are at increased risk of severe COVID-19

Drones reveal extreme coral mortality after bleaching

New genetic finding uncovers hidden cause of arsenic resistance in acute promyelocytic leukemia

Native habitats hold the key to the much-loved smashed avocado’s future

Using lightning to make ammonia out of thin air

Machine learning potential-driven insights into pH-dependent CO₂ reduction

Physician associates provide safe care for diagnosed patients when directly supervised by a doctor

How game-play with robots can bring out their human side

Asthma: patient expectations influence the course of the disease

UNM physician tests drug that causes nerve tissue to emit light, enabling faster, safer surgery

New study identifies EMP1 as a key driver of pancreatic cancer progression and poor prognosis

XPR1 identified as a key regulator of ovarian cancer growth through autophagy and immune evasion

Flexible, eco-friendly electronic plastic for wearable tech, sensors

Can the Large Hadron Collider snap string theory?

Stuckeman professor’s new book explores ‘socially sustainable’ architecture

Synthetic DNA nanoparticles for gene therapy

New model to find treatments for an aggressive blood cancer

Special issue of Journal of Intensive Medicine analyzes non-invasive respiratory support

T cells take aim at Chikungunya virus

[Press-News.org] Seed size is controlled by maternally produced small RNAs, scientists find