Biomedical subjects

Teresa Capell

Publications and source records attributed to Teresa Capell.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Recent developments and future prospects in insect pest control in transgenic crops.

The adoption of insect-resistant transgenic crops has been increasing annually at double-digit rates since the commercial release of first-generation maize and cotton expressing a single modified Bacillus thuringiensis toxin (Bt) nine years ago. Studies have shown that these Bt crops can be successfully deployed in agriculture, which has led to a decrease in pesticide usage, and that they are environmentally benign. However, the sustainability and durability of pest resistance continues to be discussed. In this review, we focus on the science that underpins second- and third-generation insect-resistant transgenic plants and examine the appropriateness and relevance of models that are currently being used to determine deployment strategies to maximize sustainability and durability. We also review strategies that are being developed for novel approaches to transgenic insect pest control.

Bacterial Toxins↗

PubMed2005

An alternative strategy for sustainable pest resistance in genetically enhanced crops.

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crystal protein genes encode insecticidal delta-endotoxins that are widely used for the development of insect-resistant crops. In this article, we describe an alternative transgenic strategy that has the potential to generate broader and more sustainable levels of resistance against insect pests. Our strategy involves engineering plants with a fusion protein combining the delta-endotoxin Cry1Ac with the galactose-binding domain of the nontoxic ricin B-chain (RB). This fusion, designated BtRB, provides the toxin with additional, binding domains, thus increasing the potential number of interactions at the molecular level in target insects. Transgenic rice and maize plants engineered to express the fusion protein were significantly more toxic in insect bioassays than those containing the Bt gene alone. They were also resistant to a wider range of insects, including important pests that are not normally susceptible to Bt toxins. The potential impact of fusion genes such as BtRB in terms of crop improvement, resistance sustainability, and biosafety is discussed.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed2005

EU-OSTID: a collection of transposon insertional mutants for functional genomics in rice.

A collection of 1373 unique flanking sequence tags (FSTs), generated from Ac/Ds and Ac transposon lines for reverse genetics studies, were produced in japonica and indica rice, respectively. The Ds and Ac FSTs together with the original T-DNAs were assigned a position in the rice genome sequence represented as assembled pseudomolecules, and found to be distributed evenly over the entire rice genome with a distinct bias for predicted gene-rich regions. The bias of the Ds and Ac transposon inserts for genes was exemplified by the presence of 59% of the inserts in genes annotated on the rice chromosomes and 41% present in genes transcribed as disclosed by their homology to cDNA clones. In a screen for inserts in a set of 75 well annotated transcription factors, including homeobox-containing genes, we found six Ac/Ds inserts. This high frequency of Ds and Ac inserts in genes suggests that saturated knockout mutagenesis in rice using this strategy will be efficient and possible with a lower number of inserts than expected. These FSTs and the corresponding plant lines are publicly available through OrygenesDB database and from the EU consortium members.

Binding Sites↗

PubMed2004

Modulation of the polyamine biosynthetic pathway in transgenic rice confers tolerance to drought stress.

We have generated transgenic rice plants expressing the Datura stramonium adc gene and investigated their response to drought stress. We monitored the steady-state mRNA levels of genes involved in polyamine biosynthesis (Datura adc, rice adc, and rice samdc) and polyamine levels. Wild-type plants responded to the onset of drought stress by increasing endogenous putrescine levels, but this was insufficient to trigger the conversion of putrescine into spermidine and spermine (the agents that are believed to protect plants under stress). In contrast, transgenic plants expressing Datura adc produced much higher levels of putrescine under stress, promoting spermidine and spermine synthesis and ultimately protecting the plants from drought. We demonstrate clearly that the manipulation of polyamine biosynthesis in plants can produce drought-tolerant germplasm, and we propose a model consistent with the role of polyamines in the protection of plants against abiotic stress.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed2004

Progress in plant metabolic engineering.

Over the past few years, there has been a growing realization that metabolic pathways must be studied in the context of the whole cell rather than at the single pathway level, and that even the simplest modifications can send ripples throughout the entire system. Attention has therefore shifted away from reductionist, single-gene engineering strategies and towards more complex approaches involving the simultaneous overexpression and/or suppression of multiple genes. The use of regulatory factors to control the abundance or activity of several enzymes is also becoming more widespread. In combination with emerging methods to model metabolic pathways, this should facilitate the enhanced production of natural products and the synthesis of novel materials in a predictable and useful manner.

Alkaloids↗

PubMed2003

Reduction in the endogenous arginine decarboxylase transcript levels in rice leads to depletion of the putrescine and spermidine pools with no concomitant changes in the expression of downstream genes in the polyamine biosynthetic pathway.

We investigated whether down-regulation of arginine decarboxylase (ADC) activity and concomitant changes in polyamine levels result in changes in the expression of downstream genes in the polyamine pathway. We generated transgenic rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants in which the rice adc gene was down-regulated by expression of its antisense oat (Avena sativa L.) ortholog. Plants expressed the oat mRNA adc transcript at different levels. The endogenous transcript was down-regulated in five out of eight plant lineages we studied in detail. Reduction in the steady-state rice adc mRNA levels resulted in a concomitant decrease in ADC activity. The putrescine and spermidine pool was significantly reduced in plants with lower ADC activity. Expression of the rice ornithine decarboxylase (odc), S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (samdc) and spermidine synthase (spd syn) transcripts was not affected. We demonstrate that even though levels of the key metabolites in the pathway were compromised, this did not influence steady-state transcription levels of the other genes involved in the pathway. Our results provide an insight into the different regulatory mechanisms that control gene expression in the polyamine biosynthetic pathway in plants by demonstrating that the endogenous pathway is uncoupled from manipulations that modulate polyamine levels by expression of orthologous transgenes.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed2002

Expression of a heterologous S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase cDNA in plants demonstrates that changes in S-adenosyl-L-methionine decarboxylase activity determine levels of the higher polyamines spermidine and spermine.

We posed the question of whether steady-state levels of the higher polyamines spermidine and spermine in plants can be influenced by overexpression of a heterologous cDNA involved in the later steps of the pathway, in the absence of any further manipulation of the two synthases that are also involved in their biosynthesis. Transgenic rice (Oryza sativa) plants engineered with the heterologous Datura stramonium S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (samdc) cDNA exhibited accumulation of the transgene steady-state mRNA. Transgene expression did not affect expression of the orthologous samdc gene. Significant increases in SAMDC activity translated to a direct increase in the level of spermidine, but not spermine, in leaves. Seeds recovered from a number of plants exhibited significant increases in spermidine and spermine levels. We demonstrate that overexpression of the D. stramonium samdc cDNA in transgenic rice is sufficient for accumulation of spermidine in leaves and spermidine and spermine in seeds. These findings suggest that increases in enzyme activity in one of the two components of the later parts of the pathway leading to the higher polyamines is sufficient to alter their levels mostly in seeds and, to some extent, in vegetative tissue such as leaves. Implications of our results on the design of rational approaches for the modulation of the polyamine pathway in plants are discussed in the general framework of metabolic pathway engineering.

Adenosylmethionine Decarboxylase↗