Transcript You are what you eat? Plant nutrient status and the

Plant adaptation to changing environments:
A role for GM
Dr Jeremy Pritchard
@DrJPritchard
Ecology
Organisms
Cells
Molecules
Molecules: Transcription and Translation
DNA
mRNA
Protein
Population growth
Climate change
Conventional breeding has been going on for 10,000 years
Why Sequence Genomes?
o Will eventually tell us what genes do
– Leads to Medical Applications
– Leads to Agricultural Applications
o Tells us about evolution
o Tell us how we develop
o Tell us how we are different to cabbages, mice and chimps
Applications of GM crops
Examples from my research
o Knockouts
o Localisation
o Transcriptomics
What does a gene do?
Where is it expressed?
How do genes respond?
Must combine Molecular with Physiology
Knockout (loss of function)
Coding region
makes protein
Turns on
specific gene
Gene Promoter
Knockout (loss of function)
Coding region makes
no or truncated protein
Insertion
Reporter genes
Remove coding region
Reporter genes
Coding region makes
fluorescent protein
New coding
region
Phloem reporter gene
Salinity – the silent flood
Salt crosses membranes through protein ‘gates’
These gates control salt levels in xylem
Salt
Salt
Bioinformatics- Arabidopsis – the model plant
ctgtcttctcactaaactccaaaacccaccggaaaaatgatta
cgtggcacgacttgtacaccgtcctcaccgccgtggtaccact
ttacgtagctatgattctttacggcaatatttcacgcctacggat
ccgtacagtggtggaagatattctcaccagaccagtgctccg
gcacaaccgcttcgtcgctatcttcgccgtccctctcctctccttc
cacttcatctccaccaacgat
CHx21
DNA Sequence
MSSGAPLNVTNPNYDIEESRFGKIVCYDQSLLF
EKREQKGWESGSTLASSLPFFITQLFVANLSYR
VLYYLTRPLYLPPFVAQILCGLLFSPSVLGNTRFI
IAHVFPYRFTMVLETFANLALVYN
Amino acid Sequence
Computer says: it looks
like a salt transporter
Immunology- protein is detected in root
endodermis
10µm
Is the computer right?
Find out; make knockout mutants
ctgtcttctc
accgtcctca
atcacgccta
tcaaccgctt
acgatcctta
actaaactcc
ccgccgtggt
cggatccgta
cgtcgctatc
cgccatgaat
aaaacccacc
accactttac
cagtggtgga
ttcgccgtcc
ggaaaaatga
gtagctatga
agatattctc
ctctcctctc
ttacgtggca
ttct ttacg
accagaccag
cttccacttc
cgacttgtac
tggcaatatt
tgctccggca
atctccacca
Insert extra sequence: This
means stop – no protein is made
Xylem sampling from transpiring plants
Leaf salt is lower in mutant xylem and leaf
100
Wild type
Mutant
Leaf salt
75
50
25
0
control
saline
5
Wild type
Salt in xylem
4
mutant
3
2
1
0
Control
Saline
Bioinformatics
•
5 similar sequences to CHX21
•
In pairs on chromosome 1 & 2
1. Duplication
2. Translocation
3. Diversification
CHX5
CHX14
CHX23
Chromosome 1
CHX5
CHX8
CHX8’
CHX14
CHX13
CHX13’
CHX23
CHX21
CHX21’
Chromosome 2
Evolution in action
From this…………...
To this…………...
……………….a better adapted plant
Dr Jeremy Pritchard
@DrJPritchard
Slides and other resources are available
as PowerPoint
Email me: [email protected]
or go to
http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/bi
osciences/outreach