Tips Archive
January 2003
SOFTWARE'S METABOLIC MAPS HELP SCIENTISTS NAVIGATE
Botany professor Eve Wurtele, computer and electrical engineering
associate professor Julie Dickerson and statistics associate
professor Diane Cook, all at Iowa State University, developed
software that illustrates the interconnections between genes and
metabolism -- the process that makes starch, oil and other
products. The METNET software will allow scientists to more rapidly
and efficiently develop and investigate theories about plant
metabolism and the biology of other organisms.
The team will improve the software with a $300,000, two-year grant from the National Science Foundation's Arabidopsis 2010 program. The program's goal is to discover the function of every gene in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Additional support for the software development has been provided by Iowa State University, ISU's Plant Sciences Institute and industry. The idea is to find connections between messenger RNA (the template for protein assembly), the proteins the messenger RNAs encode and the metabolites they govern. The program integrates a map showing the network of chemical reactions, data on gene expression and emerging software tools. The data is clustered and visualized by a novel method that includes rotating the multidimensional data through two-dimensional space.
FCModeler (for "fuzzy cognitive modeling") was developed by Dickerson as a way for researchers to link data and make educated guesses about messenger RNA-protein-metabolite relationships. Researchers can then test those theories. FCModeler will contain a map of the regulatory and metabolic network of Arabidopsis. Researchers will be able to choose parts of the map and use the modeling to understand how network components influence each other. For more information, contact Wurtele, (515) 294-8989; Dickerson, (515) 294-7705; or Teddi Barron, ISU News Service, (515) 294-4778.
July 2002
ISU CHEMIST SEEKS NEW WAYS TO PRODUCE MATERIALS FROM CORN
Starch is a widely used carbohydrate product that has an assortment
of applications, ranging from paper and textile production to the
production of food gelation agents. More than 20 million tons of
starch are isolated from corn and other plants each year for
industrial and commercial uses, says Nicola Pohl, an Iowa State
University assistant professor of chemistry and a researcher with
the Center for Crops Utilization. Pohl recently received a
$200,000, five-year grant to discover new ways to produce
biomedical materials and pharmaceutical products based on the
chemical structure of starch. "Ultimately, our goal is to produce
these [new starch] materials from corn syrup or other cheap,
biorenewable feedstocks, or perhaps directly in corn plants
themselves," Pohl said. She and graduate students, Kwang-Seuk Ko
and Corbin Zea, will be designing currently inaccessible starch
variants that do not require time-consuming chemical modifications
after harvesting and isolation. Pohl expects the new, modified
starches and their derivatives could be used as components in drugs
or perhaps in pill coatings in the pharmaceutical field. The
research grant is from the Herman Frasch Foundation, a fund
administered by the American Chemical Society. The Center for Crops
Utilization is a center of ISU's Plant Sciences Institute, College
of Agriculture and College of Family and Consumer Sciences.
Contact Pohl, (515) 294-2339; or Bridget Bailey, News Service,
(515) 294-6881.
June 2002
BIOPHARMING CAN ADD VALUE TO MIDWEST AGRICULTURE
It has been the dream of scientists for years to produce
high-valued products, such as useful pharmaceuticals and
nutraceuticals in plants. Producing crops for this purpose -
biopharming - may seem futuristic, however, groups of Iowa farmers
already grow this type of new generation of biotech crops, says
Stephen Howell, director of the Plant Sciences Institute at Iowa
State. "Biopharming is a great opportunity to add significant value
to farm production in the Midwest," Howell says, citing predictions
that the market for crops producing protein-based
biopharmaceuticals will increase from $26 billion in 2000 to $100
billion by 2010. Like plant biotechnology, which largely grew out
of the efforts of basic research in both the public and private
sectors, the development of biopharming requires productive
public/private partnerships. "A strong motivation for support of
biopharming is the prospect for economic development, but that goal
has to stand up to other challenges. The technology must be
conducted in ways that are safe, environmentally friendly and
consistent with the goals of sustainable agriculture," Howell says.
Contact Howell, (515) 294-5267; or Teddi Barron, News Service,
(515) 294-4778.
May 2002
USDA FUNDS ISU PLANT SCIENTIST'S NUTRIENT STRESS RESEARCH
When a plant doesn't have enough carbon or nitrogen to function
properly, it becomes stressed. An Iowa State University plant
scientist has received a three-year, $210,000 grant from USDA to
study how plants respond to nutrient stresses. Diane Bassham,
assistant professor of botany, will study the changes that take
place in the structure of a plant cell when insufficient nutrients
are available. Bassham will identify the genes that control these
responses and determine their role in the survival of plants under
environmental stress. Very little research has been conducted on
this aspect of plant stress response, Bassham said. "The research
could lead to improved stress tolerance in crops," she said.
Bassham conducts research in the Center for Plant Responses to
Environmental Stresses, one of the nine research centers in Iowa
State's Plant Sciences Institute. Contact Bassham, (515) 294-7461,
or Teddi Barron, News Service, 9515) 294-4778.
April 2002
MONSANTO FELLOWSHIPS LAUNCH PLANT SCIENCE RESEARCHERS
Two promising graduate students in plant genetics at Iowa State are
recipients of Monsanto Diversity Graduate Research Fellowships.
Tyrell Carr and Latrice Swain study with researchers affiliated
with the Plant Sciences Institute. Swain earned her bachelor's
degree in environmental science from Alabama A & M University
and conducts research in the lab of Paul Scott, a USDA collaborator
in agronomy. Her research involves characterizing the inheritance
of transgenes in corn, specifically the 1Dx5 gene from wheat. Carr
is investigating plant viruses with Steve Whitham, assistant
professor of plant pathology. He graduated from Elizabeth City
State University in North Carolina with a bachelor's degree in
biology with concentrations in cellular biology and biotechnology.
His research focuses on understanding how plant cells change when
viruses infect them. Monsanto established the one-year fellowships
to help outstanding minority students develop research careers in
the plant sciences. Contact Scott, (515) 294-7825; Whitham, (515)
294-4952; or Teddi Barron, News Service, (515) 294-4778. Note to
editors: A downloadable, print-quality photo of Monsanto Fellow
Tyrell Carr and ISU plant pathologist Steve Whitham is available at
http://www.iastate.edu/~nscentral/photos.html.
March 2002
RESEARCH PROVIDES CLUES TO FUNGAL DISEASE IN CEREAL CROPS
An Iowa State University plant pathology professor has discovered a
way to make the effects of pathogens on host crop plants a bit
easier to understand. Roger Wise is a USDA research geneticist
affiliated with Iowa State's Plant Sciences Institute. Wise's
research focuses on the mechanisms of resistance to fungal
pathogens of cereal crops (barley, corn, oats, etc.), particularly
oat crown rust. Fungal diseases are one of the greatest problems in
cereal grain production. Wise and graduate student Gong-Xin Yu
examined the mechanism of resistance to oat crown rust. They
discovered two new oat genes that regulate hypersensitive cell
death-a significant key of disease defense in oats. The discovery
of these new genes reveals that hypersensitive cell death is not
necessary for crown rust resistance. Wise said this research will
help scientists understand how disease defense mechanisms work in
plants. When this response in plants is understood, it could result
in an overall increase in yield through the development of
pathogen-resistant varieties. The research was funded by a grant
from the USDA-National Research Initiative. Contact Wise, (515)
294-9756; or Bridget Bailey, News Service, (515) 294-6881.
February 2002
PLANT VIRUS PROVIDES TIPS ON HOW GENES ARE DECODED
An Iowa State University plant scientist may have found a way to
control and even exploit plant viruses by figuring out the
molecular mechanisms of the virus replication cycle. Allen Miller,
a professor of plant pathology and a researcher in Iowa State's
Plant Sciences Institute, has been studying the replication
processes of the barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV), which is
transmitted by an aphid vector. The disease is widespread and
causes substantial yield losses in wheat, barley and oats. Miller's
research focuses on the mechanism by which the virus' genetic code
is translated in plants during the process of protein synthesis.
His research group has identified a new way that this process can
begin. The finding could have important implications for improving
control of genes in genetically engineered crop plants, thereby
enhancing the sustainability of crop production and the transfer of
genetic material between organisms. The research may also shed
light on the replication of important human viruses that have many
fundamental processes in common with plant viruses. Miller will
present his findings in April to applied biologists at an
international conference on plant virology advances in Cambridge,
England. The research was funded by the National Science Foundation
and published last year in the scientific journal, Molecular Cell.
Contact Miller, 515 294- 2436, or Bridget Bailey, News Service, 515
294-6881.
January 2002
PROMISING NEW ISU SOY PLASTICS CAN DAMPEN SOUND, VIBRATION
Chemists associated with the Center for Crops Utilization Research
at Iowa State University are developing unique, new plastics based
on soybean oil. The Iowa Soybean Promotion Board (ISPB) has funded
the research by chemistry faculty Richard Larock and Valerie
Sheares for the past five years. "Our goal is to make useful
plastic materials," Larock said. "We've already found some
interesting thermal and mechanical properties for our plastics."
For example, the researchers have found that the soy plastics have
good sound and vibration dampening properties that could allow them
to be used as a noise baffle for washing machines. Currently, the
ISPB is funding a study to determine the economic feasibility of
the soy-based plastics. Larock said soy oil is 17 cents per pound,
while styrene, a chemical commonly used in plastics, is 40 cents
per pound. With 60 billion pounds of synthetic plastics produced
each year, a change from styrene to soy oil could be a huge
economic benefit for soybean farmers, Larock said. The Center for
Crops Utilization Research is a center of Iowa State's Plant
Sciences Institute and College of Agriculture. Contact Larock, 515
294-4660, or Bridget Bailey, News Service, 515 294-6881.
November 2001
CORN STARCH RESEARCH COULD LEAD TO HIGHER CROP VALUE
Researchers at Iowa State University are trying to find a way to
boost the value of corn by studying starch. Alan Myers and Martha
James, faculty in biochemistry, biophysics, and molecular biology,
are working to find the specific molecular mechanisms in the corn
plant that produce starch. The team has identified and cloned three
maize genes needed for starch synthesis. Their current research is
aimed at discovering what role the enzymes made from these genes
play in the process of starch production. Discovering the
fundamental mechanisms of starch biosynthesis could allow producers
to increase the value of their crops and the utility of corn for
consumers, Myers said. "We want to provide a base of information
that can be used in a broader effort to exploit plants as
agricultural production factories, to the economic benefit of the
state of Iowa, " Myers said. "We also hope that this broad effort
will lead, in the long run, to environmental benefits and reduced
costs of consumer products." The National Science Foundation
recently provided the team with a $330,000 grant to continue their
research for three years. Contact Myers, 515 294-9548; James, 515
294-3818; or Bridget Bailey, News Service, 515 294-6881.
May 2001
IOWA D.O.T. TESTS ISU ROAD MARKERS MADE FROM SOY PLASTIC
Raised, reflective-plastic road markers can signal the difference
between a safe journey and a tragic one during reduced-visibility
driving conditions caused by fog or severe rain. The safety
markers are common in many parts of Europe and temperate regions of
the United States and Canada. In Iowa and much of central North
America, however, the reflectors can't be used because they hamper
winter plowing operations. The solution could be a rugged
biodegradable plastic made from soy protein that is being developed
at Iowa State University. Perminus Mungara, assistant scientist in
the food science and human nutrition department (FSHN), has
developed a new compression-molded plastic formulation that the
Iowa Department of Transportation is testing for roadway
applications. The material is tough enough to withstand the rigors
of a season's use. When the first winter snow falls, the
biodegradable plastic can be bladed from the surface and left to
eventually decompose in the ditch. The decomposition products from
the plastic formulation are harmless to the environment and
beneficial to plant growth. Mungara works in the biodegradable
plastics program headed by FSHN professor Jay-lin Jane. Contact
Mungara, 515 294-9763, or Teddi Barron, News Service, 515 294-4778.
April 2001
ISU RESEARCH COULD LEAD TO STRESS-RESISTANT CROPS
Plant scientists at Iowa State are getting closer to understanding
how plants protect themselves from environmental stress and toxins.
Their research on the chemical glutathione could eventually lead to
the development of stress-resistant corn or soybeans. "All
organisms use glutathione to protect themselves from stress," says
David Oliver, professor and chair of botany at Iowa State. "In
plants, the chemical grabs the toxin and carries it to a storage
compartment inside cells where it can't do any damage." Oliver and
colleagues at Iowa State's Center for Plant Responses to
Environmental Stresses (CPRES) are among a handful of scientists
who research glutathione in plants. The Iowa State research has
improved understanding of how plants recognize the presence of a
toxin and then alter their glutathione levels to respond
effectively. Oliver has engineered plants with different
glutathione levels and has discovered most of the genes involved in
making the chemical. "We're now looking at how to control these
genes. When we understand the process of turning on these genes, we
can regulate glutathione levels and modify how plants respond to
different stresses." CPRES is one of nine centers in Iowa State's
Plant Sciences Institute. For more information, contact Oliver
after April 23, 515 294-0134, or Teddi Barron, ISU News Service,
515 294-4778.
