USDA Cracks Plant Genome Puzzle

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Scientists at a USDA facility in California have announced a breakthrough in plant genome research that could lead directly to production of an easily sustainable global food supply without threatening the environment.

By identifying all 25,000 genes in a diminutive member of the mustard plant family known to botanists as Arabidopsis thaliana, and to the rest of us as thale or mouse ear cress, researchers at the Plant Gene Expression Center in Albany, Calif. have published what is considered the first catalog of the structure of all of the genes that come into play during the life of a flowering plant--from seed to flower to fruit.

Among the investigators who are pursuing that ambitious goal is Athanasios Theologis, a senior scientist with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and adjunct professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Theologis co-authored one of several research papers in the December 14 issue of the journal Nature that document his team's success. Researchers finished the project three years ahead of schedule.

Having solved the puzzle of identifying Arabidopsis thaliana's gene structure, plant researchers are intent on finding out what job each of those 25,000 genes performs.

Through discovering the traits that each gene controls, such as resistance to attack by insects or diseases, scientists may be able to integrate them into plants lacking their own natural protection, or they may be able to retool the genes to enhance their effectiveness.

Arabidopsis, often referred to as the 'model' plant for genetic research has been the guinea pig for these gene-sequence investigations because it has a much smaller amount of genetic material than familiar crop plants such as corn or wheat.

“This remarkable accomplishment," said U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, “may pave the way for increasing agricultural productivity by improving crop yields and quality to help maintain a global food supply while protecting the environment.”

Arabidopsis thaliana - Thale Cress Courtesy of ARS Photo Unit

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Written by: Robert C. Longley
Date: 12/18/2000
URL: http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa121900a.htm