CropBiotech Update: 25 July 2008

Americas
Study: Crop Production Costs will Increase Dramatically Next Year
Sex Ratios of Plants Linked to Environmental Factors
Garden Microbe Battles E. Coli in Laboratory Tests
DuPont Receives Approval for Optimum GAT Soybean Trait
Monsanto Gains Regulatory Approval for Two New Products

Asia and the Pacific
Asian Perspective on GMO and Biotech Issues
CAAS-Bayer Cooperation Strategy on Crop Research
Australia's First 'Green Roof' Study to Take Off
Consultation for Limited Release of GM Cotton in Australia
Vietnam's Biodiversity Law Awaits Approval

Europe
European Corn Production Faces Powerful Beetle
Online Map of GM Cultivation in Germany
EU Considers ?1B Aid to Help Developing Countries
BASF Sues EC Over Delays in GM Potato Approval

Research
GM Papaya with Improved Resistance to Mites
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Vaccine from GM Tobacco
Pepper Gene Enhances Potato Stress Tolerance
Insect Antifreeze Protein Confers Cold Tolerance in Tobacco

Biofuels Supplement ( July 25, 2008 Issue)

News and Trends
China To Construct Three Jatropha Biodiesel Plants
<http://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/biofuels/default.asp?Date=7/25/2008#2882>
Cellulosic Ethanol Production from Crop Residue May Be Counterproductive
<http://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/biofuels/default.asp?Date=7/25/2008#2883>

Energy Crops and Feedstocks for Biofuels Production
Sustainability of Grasses as Bioenergy Crops
<http://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/biofuels/default.asp?Date=7/25/2008#2884>
Australian Kalpa Tree as Alternative Biodiesel Feedstock
<http://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/biofuels/default.asp?Date=7/25/2008#2885>
Research Grant for "Diesel Tree" Gene Study
<http://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/biofuels/default.asp?Date=7/25/2008#2886>

Biofuels Processing
"Near-Critical Water" Converts Lignin Into Biofuel Precursors
<http://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/biofuels/default.asp?Date=7/25/2008#2887>
DOW and NREL Collaborate on Biomass to Ethanol Technology by ThermoChemical Route
<http://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/biofuels/default.asp?Date=7/25/2008#2888>

Biofuels Policy and Economics
Taiwan Rolls Out 1% Biodiesel Mandate
<http://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/biofuels/default.asp?Date=7/25/2008#2889>
New Study Finds Less Greener Picture for Tropical Biofuels
<http://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/biofuels/default.asp?Date=7/25/2008#2890>

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<http://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/online/default.asp?Date=7/18/2008>

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News

Global

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Plant Steroids as Models of How Hormones Work

Plant steroids, called brassinosteroids, are key hormones throughout the plant kingdom. They regulate many aspects of growth and development. However, the playbook of molecular signals that tell the genes to boost growth and development in plant cells is far more complicated than in human and animal cells. A new study by plant biologists at the Carnegie Institution used an emerging molecular approach called proteomics to identify key links in the steroid signaling chain. Understanding how these plant hormones activate genes could lead not only to enhanced harvests but also to new insights into how steroids regulate growth in both plant and animal cells.

The researchers used methods in proteomics such as 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis to map out the proteins in a plant. The study targeted a class of proteins called kinases, which transmit signals by exchanging phosphate ions. The electrophoresis analyses identified a group of kinases that responded to the presence of brassinosteroids. The researchers called these proteins BSKs (brassinosteroid signaling kinases). BSKs would be the first major signaling component to be identified by a quantitative proteomics approach in plants. Their findings have not only helped establish the connections of the steroid signaling pathway, but possibly offers a paradigm for both kinase signaling in plants and for steroid signaling by cell-surface receptors in general.

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Molecular Breeding as a Foundation for Crop Improvement

Molecular plant breeding has numerous contributions to 21st century crop improvement, says Stephen Moose and Rita Mumm of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and GeneMax Services, USA in their review paper published in the Plant Physiology journal.

Moose and Mumm indicated that during the past two decades, plant biotechnology and associated tools like molecular markers helped in the manipulation of genetic variation and the development of improved cultivars of many crops. They reviewed that molecular plant breeding in particular has increased favorable gene action, expanded the useful genetic diversity for crop improvement, and increased the efficiency of selection. Among the products of molecular plant breeding include the recent Yield-Guard VT Triple transgenic maize hybrids where herbicide tolerance and multiple insect resistance traits are integrated as one genomic locus, and Golden Rice.

The paper, which also reviews historical developments in molecular plant breeding, is accessible to journal subscribers at http://www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/doi/10.1104/pp.108.118232.

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FAO Launches New Global Soil Database

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has unveiled a new global soil database that will help better map current and future land productivity as well as the present carbon storage and carbon sequestration potential of the world's soils. FAO says that the database will also help identify land and water limitations and assist in assessing land degradation and soil erosion risks.

"The more information we have about soil properties, the more we can evaluate the quality of our natural resources all over the world and their potential to produce food now and in future scenarios of climate change", said Alexander Muller, FAO Assistant Director General for Natural Resources and Environment Management.

Based on the soil database, the FAO has produced a Global Gap Map which will help identify where soil carbon storage is greatest and the physical potential for billions of tons of additional carbon to be sequestrated in degraded soils. Efforts to use agriculture to capture green house gasses have involved above ground sequestration mainly by planting trees. Although the amount of carbon captured using this approach is substantial, there are growing interests in finding ways to increase carbon sequestration in soil.

For more information, read
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2008/1000882/index.html
The World Soil Database can be accessed at
http://www.iiasa.ac.at/Research/LUC/luc07/External-World-soil-database/HTML/index.html

Africa

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Food Crises Pushing More Africans into Poverty

Sanjivi Rajasingham, The World Bank acting Country Director for Comoros, Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles and Somalia, said global food and energy crises were causing serious setbacks to many countries' reforms and growth strategies, including measures to address poverty and inequity. In Liberia, for example, a 25% increase in food prices in January pushed 200,000 people into poverty. The Bank launched a global Food Crisis Response Program and committed $115 million to help severely affected African countries. He was speaking at a round table on the impact of the global food crisis in Eastern and Central Africa organized by the World Bank, World Food Programme, and the International Livestock Research Institute.

The meeting recommended several measures, including increasing investment in agriculture, emergency relief assistance, helping poor farmers to access farm inputs like fertilizers and high-yielding seeds, boosting production of traditional tuber, cereal and vegetable crops and mainstreaming them into the food chain, improving livestock development, management and marketing structures, and increasing area under irrigation.

Dr Joseph Karugia, Coordinator of the Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System for Eastern and Central Africa, said that with right policies and other support measures, high food prices could be an incentive for farmers to increase food production.

For more information contact Daniel Otunge (d.otunge@cgiar.org) of ISAAA AfriCenter.

Americas

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Study: Crop Production Costs will Increase Dramatically Next Year

Soaring fuel prices will cause a dramatic increase in crop production costs next year, according to a University of Illinois (UI) study. Because of spiraling fertilizer prices, Gary Schnitkey, an agricultural economist from UI, estimated that the costs for soybean and corn production will jump by about a third. Fertilizer, the biggest non-land expense for corn and soybean farmers, is tethered to the same cost spiral that has driven steep gasoline and heating price increases over the last few years. Schnitkey expects fertilizer prices to surge 82 percent for corn and 117 percent for soybeans.

According to the study, farmers will also see hefty cost increases next year for inputs ranging from seed to fuel for tractors and other machinery. The study projects non-land production costs for corn will total $529 an acre next year, an increase of 36 percent from 2008 and nearly 85 percent higher than the average of $286 per acre from 2003 to 2007. Soybean input costs, on the other hand, are estimated to rise 34 percent from last year's at $321 an acre.

Read the complete article at
http://www.news.uiuc.edu/news/08/0723costs.html.
For more information, contact Gary Schnitkey at schnitke@illinois.edu

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Sex Ratios of Plants Linked to Environmental Factors

A new research from the University of Toronto found that environmental factors can transform the ratio of females to males in plant populations. The team, composed of Ivana Stehlik, Jannice Friedman, and University Professor Spencer Barrett used genetic markers (known DNA sequences) to identify the sex of seeds. They investigated six natural populations of the wind-pollinated herb Rumex nivalis in the Swiss Alps and mapped the distance between females and neighboring males. They then measured the amount of pollen captured by female flowers and collected seeds from the plants when they were mature.

Barrett and his team found a strongly female-biased flowering sex ratios in these populations. When there were more males surrounding females, females captured more pollen, matured more seed and produced more strongly female-biased offspring. The authors suggest that when females capture large amounts of pollen, female-determining pollen tubes out compete male-determining pollen tubes to fertilize the single ovule in each flower, resulting to the observed female to male ratio.

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Garden Microbe Battles E. Coli in Laboratory Tests

It's a battle among the microbes, and Agricultural Research Service (ARS) geneticist Michael Cooley knows the winner. In studies that begun in 2002, Cooley showed that a garden-friendly microbe, Enterobacter asburiae living peaceably on the beans and cucumbers can significantly reduce the levels of two pathogens--Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica. Follow-up experiments with green leaf lettuce were conducted. Cooley found that a rather ordinary bacterium, Wausteria paucula, befriended E. coli and enhanced its survival six-fold on lettuce leaves. Adding E. asburiae to the experiment again demonstrated this beneficial microbe's ability to suppress E. coli. When lettuce leaves were exposed to the three kinds of microbes, E. asburiae decreased E. coli survival 20- to 30-fold.

More remains to be learned about the competition that takes place--among the microbes--on leaves or other plant surfaces. In the meantime, E. asburiae shows initial promise for use as a biological control agent in science-based strategies to make salad greens much safer to consume, Cooley reports.

The complete press release is available at
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2008/080721.htm.

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DuPont Receives Approval for Optimum GAT Soybean Trait

DuPont Co. has received U.S. regulatory approval for the use of the herbicide tolerance trait Optimum GAT in soybeans. Optimum GAT seeds are resistant to both glyphosate, marketed by Monsanto Co. as Roundup, and ALS (acetolactate synthase) inhibiting herbicides. It is the company's first proprietary genetically engineered trait. Currently, the herbicide-tolerant soybeans sold by DuPont carry the Roundup Ready trait licensed from Monsanto. DuPont said it is planning demonstration trials in 2009 and 2010 and will introduce commercial soybean varieties with the herbicide tolerance trait in 2011. Pending regulatory approvals, the company said that it is planning to introduce the trait in corn in 2010.

The media released is available at

http://vocuspr.vocus.com/VocusPR30/Newsroom/Query.aspx?SiteName=DupontNew&Entity =PRAsset&SF_PRAsset_PRAssetID_EQ=110341&XSL=PressRelease&Cache=False

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Monsanto Gains Regulatory Approval for Two New Products

Monsanto's Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybean has received regulatory approval in Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand. In addition, the European Food Safety Authority has released a positive scientific opinion saying that the herbicide tolerant soybeans are safe for import as food and feed. Monsanto says that the GM soybean lines will be introduced on 1 million to 2 million acres for the 2009 season as part of a controlled commercial release, followed by a large-scale product launch of 5 million to 6 million acres scheduled for 2010. Currently, Roundup Ready 2 Yield is approved in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand.

The company has also gained U.S. approval for its new insect protection trait MON 89034. The Bt trait will be stacked with the Roundup Ready trait to be sold as YieldGard VT Triple PRO. YieldGard VT Triple PRO will be the first technology to produce two different Bt proteins to protect plants from common above-ground insects while also providing the existing rootworm protection and herbicide-tolerance traits in a single plant.

The media releases are accessible at
http://monsanto.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=621 and
http://monsanto.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=622

Asia and the Pacific

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Asian Perspective on GMO and Biotech Issues

Genetically modified (GM) foods will most likely become an increasing feature of the Asian diet in the light of the region's growing demand for high volumes of quality food. "Asia has the potential to lead the world in using biotechnology for new classes of products with the way paved by GM crops and food", says Dr. Paul Teng of the National Sciences and Science Education, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

In a review article published in the Asian Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Teng concludes that the first wave of agri-biotech applications in biofarming involving biotech crops, biopesticides and biofertilizers, will soon be added by biopharming or use of biotech crops to produce pharmaceuticals; biofuels involving use of crops to produce fuels such as ethanol and diesel; bioplastics involving use of crops to produce complex hydrocarbons for multiple uses; and bioremediation involving the use of biotech plants engineered to absorb toxic or undesirable chemicals, in soil, air and water.

Email Dr. Paul Teng at paul.teng@nie.edu.sg for more information.

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CAAS-Bayer Cooperation Strategy on Crop Research

On July 7, 2008, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) and Bayer Group co-hosted a conference with the theme on crop research cooperation in Beijing, China.

Dr. Joachim Schneider, head of BioScience at Bayer, attended the conference along with 27 other famous scientists. CAAS's vice-president, Tang Huajun, also attended along with representatives from Institute of Plant Protection, China National Rice Research Institute, Institute of Crop Science, Institute of Cotton, and Institute of Oil Crops, subsidiaries of CAAS.

During the conference, representatives from both sides discussed the progress of breeding research on rice, cotton, soybean and canola, GM crop biosafety, China's agricultural strategy on using foreign investment, and intellectual property protection. The two sides further discussed their cooperation scheme and exchanged ideas regarding signing a cooperation memorandum.

Read the article at
http://www.caas.net.cn/caas/ShowArticle.asp?Id=5299
For more information on biotechnology in China, contact Zhang Hongxiang at zhanghx@mail.las.ac.cn.
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Australia's First 'Green Roof' Study to Take Off

Shallow rooftop gardens or 'green roofs' are becoming popular recently for their environmental and energy saving benefits. Now researchers at the University of Melbourne are examining the suitability of Australian native plants in green roofs. "Green roofs have amazing potential but have not yet been evaluated under Australian climatic conditions. We will be examining the suitability of selected native plants for green roofs by measuring their survival, growth rate and response to drought stress," said project leader Dr Nick Williams.

The researchers have selected a range of Australian and exotic species to test if they meet their criteria: the plants need to be robust and low in height so they do not get blown off the roof, have good drought tolerance, like exposure to full sun and are easily maintained. These include herbs and grasses that grow in the native grasslands west of Melbourne and succulents from arid inland regions.

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Consultation for Limited Release of GM Cotton in Australia

Australia's Acting Gene Technology Regulator is currently assessing a License Application from Monsanto for a controlled and limited release to undertake research with cotton lines genetically modified for enhanced water use efficiency. The trial is proposed to take place in New South Wales. A consultation Risk Assessment and Risk Management Plan (RARMP) has been prepared, which concludes that the proposed release would pose negligible risk to human health and safety or to the environment. The Acting Regulator welcomes written submissions in order to finalize the RARMP.

Submissions will be received until 29 August 2008.

Read the complete media release at
http://www.ogtr.gov.au/internet/ogtr/publishing.nsf/Content/dir081-3/$FILE/dir081notificon.pdf.

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Vietnam's Biodiversity Law Awaits Approval

Vietnam has recently completed a new draft Biodiversity Law which is expected to be approved by the National Assembly in October 2008. Chapter 6 of this law pertains to the management of genetically modified (GM)organisms. The proposed law calls for the labeling of foods or food products containing over 5 percent GM products. Although Vietnam has no restriction on the importation of GM products, implementing regulations to allow field trials of biotech crops have still not been approved.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has already reported its draft regulations for biosafety management of GM crops to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and received comments from various countries. MARD anticipates the approval of the proposed biotech regulations this year. Despite this, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report says that Vietnam will likely not achieve its targets to release GM crops for commercial production by 2010.

Download the complete USDA Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report at http://www.fas.usda.gov/gainfiles/200807/146295193.pdf.

Europe

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European Corn Production Faces Powerful Beetle

One of the world's most dangerous pests to corn is a tiny insect known as the Western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera). It is now spreading across Europe and could soon be responsible for yield losses of up to 80 percent. Permanent populations of the corn pest have become established in Austria, Switzerland and France and the pest has already emerged in the southern states of Germany.

The problem with the corn rootworm is that it has no direct natural enemies in Europe. One theoretical alternative means of control is crop rotation. This approach cannot guarantee long-term success, however. The pathogen has developed numerous resistances to this measure, including one-year egg dormancy. Longest-lasting control is achieved with crop protection agents. Effective insecticides can either be sprayed onto the leaves of the corn plant or delivered with spot precision and high effectiveness into the soil through seed dressing. Use of dressed seeds is probably the most ecofriendly way of using crop protection agents.

To read more about the Western corn rootworm, visit
http://www.bayercropscience.com/BCSWeb/CropProtection.nsf/id/EN_2008-NST-033.

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Online Map of GM Cultivation in Germany

Germany's Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) has made available an online map showing the geographical distribution of genetically modified (GM) crops in the country. The interactive map features the distribution of both commercially-grown and trial-released GM crops, from country to community level. The map offers the possibility of checking for GM cultivation in a community by entering the postal code. Cultivation areas and exact figures are listed separately on additional spreadsheets. Detailed information on individual fields are given via links to a database that begins the first introduction of the official register in 2005.

The online map is accessible at
http://194.95.226.237/stareg_visual_web/data.do?cachefoi=yes

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EU Considers ?1B Aid to Help Developing Countries

The European Commission has supported a plan to give ?1 billion ($1.6 billion) to help farmers from developing countries cope up with spiraling prices of agricultural inputs. The support, which would operate for two years, would be in addition to existing development funds and would be taken from unused money from the European Union's agricultural budget. According to the commission, the facility would give priority to supply-side measures, improving access to farm inputs such as fertilizers and seed, possibly through credit, and to safety net measures aimed at improving productive capacity in agriculture.

José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, said: "The impact of high food prices is particularly severe for the world's poorest populations. It may put at risk our progress towards the Millennium Development Goals and exacerbate tensions in poor countries, namely in Africa. This 1 billion Euro facility aims to generate a strong and rapid agricultural supply response." The Commission hopes that the plans can be approved by November, to allow commitment of funds in 2008 and implementation in early 2009.

The media release is available at
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/1186&format=HTML&aged=
0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

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BASF Sues EC Over Delays in GM Potato Approval

BASF Plant Science filed an action against the European Commission (EC) for failure to act regarding the approval of its genetically modified (GM) potato, Amflora. The company has filed the lawsuit with the Court of First Instance in Luxembourg. According to BASF, the Commission has unjustifiably delayed the approval of the GM potato on several occasions, particularly between July 2007 and May 2008 when Amflora was not approved even after the completion of other procedural steps. The Amflora approval process was initiated 12 years ago with the request for authorization submitted in August 1996. The European Food Safety Authority, after rigorous scientific assessment, has concluded that the Amflora is as safe as its non-GM counterpart.

View the press release at
http://www.corporate.basf.com/en/presse/mitteilungen/pm.htm?pmid=3175&id=cT8smCe2Abcp20q

Research

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GM Papaya with Improved Resistance to Mites

Researchers at the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center and the USDA-ARS Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center have reported that a transgenic papaya with a snowdrop lectin (Galanthus nivalis agglutin [GNA]) gene exhibited improved resistance to carmine spider mites (Tetranychus cinnabarinus). Lectins are naturally occurring proteins that typically bind to carbohydrates and are found in plants, animals, bacteria and fungi.

Heather McCafferty and colleagues transformed the commercial papaya cultivar Kapoho which is highly susceptible to mites. The group used the biolistic transformation method to introduce a plasmid containing the GNA DNA to embryogenic calli. Laboratory assay indicated the total reproductive capacity of mites feeding on leaves of the transgenic lines was significantly different and about three times less in the transformed lines. The researchers noted that mites were also found to spend less time feeding on leaves of the transgenics and this mite feeding behavior may be as significant as the insecticidal activity of the protein.

McCafferty and colleagues plan to further conduct experiments to test the resistance of the transgenic papaya plants to other pathogens and determine the impact of GNA-expressing papayas on the flora and fauna found in Hawaii.

The paper is available at the Plant Science journal website at
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.plantsci.2008.05.007.

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Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Vaccine from GM Tobacco

Genetically modified tobacco can act as a speedy and safe antibiotic factory for personalized treatment against non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, according to new findings from the Stanford University School of Medicine. Follicular Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) has become the most common hematologic malignancy (blood or bone marrow cancer) in the United States with an estimated 54,000 new cases each year. It affects the B-cells, a type of lymphocytes or white blood cells that play a large role in antibody-mediated immunity.

NHL starts when a single immune cell displays uncontrolled growth, making multiple clones of itself. The clones carry a specific antibody not found on any of the body's healthy cells. Plants are engineered to produce the specific antibody. In this case, Levy and his team infected the tobacco plants with modified tobacco mosaic virus carrying the antibody gene. When introduced to someone diagnosed with NHL, the plant-derived vaccine stimulates the patient's immune system to find and destroy the malignant cells.

In addition, the scientists found out that the way plants attach sugar molecules to the antibody, during biochemical processing, does not impair the immunogenicity or affect the safety of the vaccines. The study presents the first human tests of an injectable vaccine produced from plants.

The paper published by PNAS is available at http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2008/07/18/0803636105.abstract.

For more information, read http://med.stanford.edu/news_releases/2008/july/plant-vaccine.html

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Pepper Gene Enhances Potato Stress Tolerance

The gaseous phytohormone ethylene exerts its effect in plant development and growth by regulating the transcription of certain plant genes. The hormone interacts with ERFs (ethylene responsive factors), a group of DNA binding proteins that modulate the expression of several stress-inducible genes. Arabidopsis ERF genes have been shown to play important roles in plant defense response. However, little is known about the functional significance of ERF genes in important crops such as wheat, maize and potato.

Scientists from the Plant Genome Research Center and Seoul National University in Korea showed that overexpression of the pepper ERF gene CaPF1 effectively enhanced tolerance to freezing, heat, heavy metal, and oxidative stress in potatoes. The team also observed that CaPF1 was involved in tuber formation. Microtuber formation was significantly retarded in lines overexpressing the transgene. The results of the study suggest that future research using various transcription factors, particularly ethylene responsive factors, to improve stress tolerance in potato may result in development of high-yielding crops.

The article published by the journal Planta is available to subscribers at
http://www.springerlink.com/content/9575272704517288/fulltext.pdf.
Non-subscribers can read the abstract at
http://www.springerlink.com/content/9575272704517288/?p=f246c4e4caf945bf9b6afc2aff151
e4e&pi=0

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Insect Antifreeze Protein Confers Cold Tolerance in Tobacco

Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) refer to a class of polypeptides produced by some animals, plants and bacteria that permit their survival in environments with sub-zero temperature. AFPs play an important role in modifying the shape of ice crystals, inhibition of ice growth and repression of recrystallization.

A group of scientists from Xianjiang University in China developed cold tolerant transgenic tobacco plants overexpressing a beetle AFP. Low temperature is one of the limiting factors in the growth, productivity and distribution of plants. Higher yields could be achieved either by improving the freezing tolerance of a crop, or by increasing the survival of freezing sensitive plants following light frosts.

The researchers observed that the AFP encoded by MpAFP149 was mainly distributed on the cell wall (in the apoplastic space) of the transgenic tobacco plants. Compared with wild type tobacco, the transgenic plants preserved the integrity of their cell membrane when grown at -1°C for 3 days. The scientists are now looking for ways to introduce the gene into cold sensitive crops such as potato and tomato.

Read the paper published by Plant Cell Reports at
http://www.springerlink.com/content/c181x111323553g3/fulltext.pdf
or
http://www.springerlink.com/content/c181x111323553g3/? 0181&pi=8p=42868636ef244dcd8b497e737fea

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Announcements

IBIC 2008 in Indonesia

Indonesia Biotechnology Consortium (KBI) announces the 4th Indonesian Biotechnology Conference 2008 (IBC 2008) with the theme "Biotechnology for better food, health and environment" to be held on 5 - 7 August 2008 at IPB International Convention Center, Bogor, Indonesia. This event will provide a valuable venue for disseminating information on the most current advances in the application of biotechnology, initiating collaboration efforts between scientists and investors to create new opportunities, and develop established industries. Participants are invited to submit original, unpublished papers on all aspects of biotechnology in agricultural biotechnology, medical biotechnology, environmental biotechnology and marine biotechnology.

For further information on IBC 2008, contact
inaibc08@gmail.com or
p2biotek@indo.net.id or
visit http://www.biotechindonesia.org/

Introductory Course in Bioinformatics at AGERI Egypt

The Association of Agricultural Research Institutions in the Near East and North Africa (AARINENA), in cooperation with Egypt's Agricultural Genetic Engineering Research Institute (AGERI), will organize an introductory training course in bioinformatics. The training will be held at AGERI, Giza, Egypt from November 23 to December 2, 2008. Fourteen candidates will be selected from AARINENA member countries and 3 from APAARI. Research assistants, junior researchers, university lecturers, assistant lecturers and bioengineers working in the area of biotechnology are welcome to apply.

Contact Dr. Dina El-Khishin (khishin@ageri.sci.eg) or
visit http://www.ageri.sci.eg/ for more information.

International Conference for Peanut Genomics and Biotechnology

In collaboration with the American Peanut Council, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is organizing the third international meeting of the Peanut Genomics Initiative on Advances in Arachis through Genomics and Biotechnology (AAGB-2008). AAGB-2008 will be held from 4 to 8 November 2008 at ICRISAT Headquarters, Hyderabad, India. The conference will deal with the following themes: Genetic Resources, Allelic Diversity, Germplasm Enhancement, Genomic Resources, Comparative Genomics, Gene Discovery, Biotic and Abiotic Stresses, and Product Quality and Safety.

For further details, visit http://www.icrisat.org/aagb-2008/ http://www.peanutbioscience.com/ or contact Rajeev Varshney (r.k.varshney@cgiar.org)

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