Genetically engineered orange petunias on the market

Main conclusion Unauthorized genetically engineered orange petunias were found on the market. Genetic engineering of petunia was shown to lead to novel flower color some 20 years ago. Here we show that petunia lines with orange flowers, generated for scientific purposes, apparently found their way to petunia breeding programmes, intentionally or unintentionally. Today they are widely available, but have not been registered for commerce

Within leaf variation is the largest source of variation in agroinfiltration of Nicotiana benthamiana

Abstract Background: Transient gene expression utilizing syringe agroinfiltration offers a simple and efficient technique for different transgenic applications. Leaves of Nicotiana benthamiana show reliable and high transformation efficiency, but in quantitative assays also a certain degree of variation. We used a nested design in our agroinfiltration experiments to dissect the sources of this variation. Results: An intron containing firefly luciferase gene was used as a reporter for agroinfiltration. A number of 6 week old tobacco plants were infiltrated for their top leaves, several samples were punched from the leaves after 2 days of transient expression, and protein extracts from the samples were repeatedly measured for luciferase activity. Interestingly, most of the variation was due to differences between the sampling spots in the leaves, the next important source being the different leaves on each plant. Variation between similar experiments, between plants and between repetitive measurements of the extracts could be easily minimized. Conclusions: Efforts and expenditure of agroinfiltration experiments can be optimized when sources of variation are known. In summary, infiltrate more plants but less leaves, sample more positions on the leaf but run only few technical replicates.Peer reviewe

Gerberan karvasaineet suojaavat hyönteisherbivorialta

Gerbera hybrida (sädelatva) on suosittu koristekasvi. Terälehtien värit ovat peräisin vesiliukoisistaantosyaaneista, jotka ovat sekundäärimetabolian tuotteita. Tutkiessamme tätä metaboliareittiä, löysimmesen läheltä haaran, joka johtaa karvaan makuisiin yhdisteisiin, gerberiiniin ja parasorbosidiin.Näiden karvasaineiden merkitys gerberalle on ollut tuntematon.Gerberan karvasaineiden biosynteesiin vaikutettiin geenitekniikan keinoin hiljentämällä keskeisen2PS-geenin toiminta. Anti-2PS-linjojen siirtogeenisiin gerberoihin ei gerberiiniä ja parasorbosidiasynny, vaan ne maistuvat tavanomaiseen gerberaan verrattuna makealta. Epäily näiden makealta maistuvienkasvien herkkyydestä hyönteisherbivoriaan heräsi kasvihuonehavaintojemme perusteella.Teimme erilaisia syöttö- ja munintakokeita, joissa hyönteiset saivat valita karvasaineettoman jakarvasainetta sisältävän gerberan välillä. Karvasaineilla oli voimakas estävä vaikutus täplätupsukkaan(Orgyia antiqua) ja krysanteemiyökkösen (Spodoptera littoralis) herbivoriaa vastaan. Ansarijauhiasen(Trialeurodes vaporariorum) toukille karvasaineilla ei ollut merkitystä.Tutkimuksemme perusteella karvasaineilla on hyönteisherbivoriaa ehkäisevä vaikutus. Eri lajikkeillaon vaihtelua karvasaineiden määrän suhteen ja yhdisteiden pitoisuuksien mittaaminen onyksinkertainen keino uusien lajikkeiden hyönteiskestävyyden arvioimiseen jalostustyössä. Pitkällätähtäyksellä on myös mahdollista molekyylibiologisin keinoin siirtää koko karvasainereitti uusiinhyötykasvilajeihin, käytännössä koristekasveihin

Tissue-specific study across the stem reveals the chemistry and transcriptome dynamics of birch bark.

Tree bark is a highly specialized array of tissues that plays important roles in plant protection and development. Bark tissues develop from two lateral meristems; the phellogen (cork cambium) produces the outermost stem-environment barrier called the periderm, while the vascular cambium contributes with phloem tissues. Although bark is diverse in terms of tissues, functions and species, it remains understudied at higher resolution. We dissected the stem of silver birch (Betula pendula) into eight major tissue types, and characterized these by a combined transcriptomics and metabolomics approach. We further analyzed the varying bark types within the Betulaceae family. The two meristems had a distinct contribution to the stem transcriptomic landscape. Furthermore, inter- and intraspecies analyses illustrated the unique molecular profile of the phellem. We identified multiple tissue-specific metabolic pathways, such as the mevalonate/betulin biosynthesis pathway, that displayed differential evolution within the Betulaceae. A detailed analysis of suberin and betulin biosynthesis pathways identified a set of underlying regulators and highlighted the important role of local, small-scale gene duplication events in the evolution of metabolic pathways. This work reveals the transcriptome and metabolic diversity among bark tissues and provides insights to its development and evolution, as well as its biotechnological applications.peerReviewe