Introduction:
I am Saint Louis University student majoring in biology and minoring in psychology. I hope to contribute to a wiki page regarding genetic modification for the field of evolutionary biology.
Wiki assignment 3:
Agropyron cristatum is a species of wheat grass that native to northern parts of Asia. The importance of A. cristatum is often undermined as the plant has not been domesticated for modern agricultural use. Recent studies highlight the importance of A. cristatum in future agricultural development because A. cristatum exhibits several desirable traits for the improvement of domesticated wheat.[1]
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Wiki assignment 5:
Tenacity
editThe importance of Agropyron cristatum is often undermined as the plant has not been domesticated for modern agricultural use. Agropyron cristatum’s ability to withstand various environmental and biological blighting makes it a truly unique and valuable organism. Recent studies highlight the importance of A. cristatum in future agricultural development because A. cristatum exhibits several desirable traits for the improvement of domesticated wheat.[1] While some of these traits may be related to yield production of the wheat, other significant traits include biotic and abiotic stress resistance genes that enable A. cristatum to grow proficiently. The importance of this knowledge is that researchers can use this genetic information regarding stress resistance genes to introduce new desirable traits in other domesticated wheat species that aid their growth in harsh environments; ultimately this leads to better yields for more human consumption.
The phenotypic success Agropyron cristatum experiences primarily is due to the success of its root system. A majority of plant growth is because of root development and recent studies show how competitive A. cristatum since it beats out other forms of vegetation in grassland environments.[2] Experimental studies conducted on the competitiveness of A. cristatum provide data on how long the roots grow and how concentrated soil volume becomes with roots of A. cristatum.[2][3] Data shows that A. cristatum typically allocates more of its biomass in its roots than its shoots when compared to other grassland species.[3] Interpretation of this data suggests that because A. cristatum has a better foundation, it can out compete other species for resources.[2][3] This data give significant insights into why A. cristatum is so competitive and why the development of this species could be a valuable asset to the food production as a perennial plant that is very competitive with its roots.[3] In addition to this data, new research implies that whatever genes are enabling the roots to beat out the competition are homogeneous in nature (therefore more easily passed down through generations) and is the reason the species is as dominant.[2]
By utilizing next-generation sequencing techniques to analyze transcriptomes and genomes, researchers can annotate important functional genes that may be valuable for human use in the field of agriculture.[1] Studies show that A. cristatum contains an abundance of protein family domains including nucleotide-binding domain-ARC (NB-ARC), AP2 domains, Myb family transcription factors (Myb), and late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins that are all stress resistance genes.[1] Specifically, NB-ARC proteins deal with general immune resistances, AP2 domains relate to cold temperature and drought resistance, Myb proteins also aid in drought resistance but also help in salinity stress, and LEA genes generally involve resistance from other abiotic stresses.[1] With this information, the next step is to actually introduce versions of these desirable genes into domesticated species. The results from a 2013 study displays the effects of introducing translocations between those desirable traits from A. cristatum to modern wheat species. Using the method of intergenic translocations, the research shows that successful integrations have been completed and that those plants do in fact grow normally as well.[4] Another method from a successful 2014 study involves the use of intergenic hybridization to introduce resistance genes associated with leaf rust.[5] To sum up, the numerous biotic and abiotic resistance genes that A. cristatum presents leads to the success of the species that should and can be applies to modern day food production of the wheat domesticated species.
Assignment 7: Revised Wikipedia Assignment - 12/15/15
editTenacity:
editThe importance of Agropyron cristatum is often undermined as the plant has not been domesticated for modern agricultural use. Agropyron cristatum’s ability to withstand various environmental and biological blighting makes it a truly unique and valuable organism. Recent studies highlight the importance of A. cristatum in future agricultural development because it exhibits several desirable traits for the improvement of domesticated wheat.[1] While some of these traits may be related to yield production of the wheat, other significant traits include biotic and abiotic stress resistance genes that enable A. cristatum to grow proficiently. The importance of this knowledge is that researchers can use this genetic information regarding stress resistance genes to introduce new desirable traits in other domesticated wheat species that aid their growth in harsh environments. Ultimately, this leads to better yields for more human consumption.
The phenotypic success that Agropyron cristatum experiences is primarily due to the success of its root system. Recent studies show how root development contributes to the competitiveness of A. cristatum by testing its ability to flourish over other forms of vegetation in grassland environments.[2] These studies provide data on how long the roots grow and how concentrated soil volume becomes with roots of A. cristatum.[2][3] The results shows that A. cristatum typically allocates more of its biomass in its roots than its shoots when compared to other grassland species. Interpretation of this data suggests that because A. cristatum has a better foundation, it can outcompete other species for resources.[2][3] These reports give significant insights into why A. cristatum is so competitive and why the development of this species could be a valuable asset to the food production as a perennial plant that is very competitive with its roots.[3] In addition to this data, new research implies that whatever genes are enabling the roots to beat out the competition are homogeneous in nature (therefore more easily passed down through generations) and is the reason the species is as dominant.[2] Once these genes become identified, agriculturalists can seek to implement them into genetically modified versions of wheat species to create a more durable and successful domesticated wheat species in our limited environment.
Today, researchers can annotate important functional genes that may be valuable for human use in the field of agriculture. This can be accomplished by utilizing next-generation sequencing techniques to analyze transcriptomes and genomes.[1] Studies show that A. cristatum contains an abundance of protein family domains including nucleotide-binding domain-ARC (NB-ARC), AP2 domains, Myb family transcription factors (Myb), and late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins that are all stress resistance genes.[1] Specifically, NB-ARC proteins deal with general immune resistances, AP2 domains relate to cold temperature and drought resistance, Myb proteins also aid in drought resistance but also help in salinity stress, and LEA genes generally involve resistance from other abiotic stresses.[1] With this information, the next step is to actually introduce versions of these desirable genes into domesticated species. The results from a 2013 study displays the effects of introducing translocations between those desirable traits from A. cristatum to modern wheat species.[4] Using the method of intergenic translocations, the research shows that successful integrations have been completed and that those plants do in fact grow normally as well.[4] Another method from a successful 2015 study involves the use of intergenic hybridization to introduce resistance genes associated with leaf rust.[5] To sum up, the numerous biotic and abiotic resistance genes that A. cristatum presents leads to the success of the species which could and can be applied to modern day food production of the wheat domesticated species.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i Zhang J, Liu W, Han H, Song L, Bai L, Gao Z, Zhang Y, Yang X, Li X, Gao A, & Li L (2015). De novo transcriptome sequencing of Agropyron cristatum to identify available gene resources for the enhancement of wheat. Genomics 106(2):129-136.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Vaness BM, Wilson SD, & MacDougall AS (2014). Decreased root heterogeneity and increased root length following grassland invasion. Functional Ecology 28(5): 1266-1273.
- ^ a b c d e f g Bakker J & Wilson S (2001). Competitive Abilities of Introduced and Native Grasses. Plant Ecology 157(2): 119–127.
- ^ a b c Song L, Jiang L, Han H, Gao A, Yang X, Li L, & Liu W (2013). Efficient Induction of Wheat-Agropyron cristatum 6P Translocation Lines and GISH Detection. PLoS ONE 8(7): e69501.
- ^ a b Ochoa V, Said M, Cabrera A, Madrid E, & Rubiales D (2015). Molecular and cytogenetic characterization of a common wheat-Agropyron cristatum chromosome translocation conferring resistance to leaf rust. Euphytica 201(1): 89-95.
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