Genomic information from plants can be used to enhance agricultural output and improve food security in a sustainable mode . Through good reason of the relationship between a plant ’s genetic selective information and the result behaviour , improved crops with better traits ( resistance to disease , tolerance to drought , etc . ) can be develop . This can be achieved through mark pollinating plants with selected traits to produce a loan-blend with the desired characteristics .
A research squad conduct by Prof Eunyoung CHAE from the Department of Biological Sciences , NUS has notice that in selective plant breeding , the genes responsible for supply defence responses against powdery mold ( RPW8 ) in the Arabidopsis thaliana industrial plant , when duplicate as multiple copies in the genome , can misregulate resistant receptors to trigger autoimmunity in hybrid plants . This can cause the premature gradual death of the leaf in these hybrids , known as intercrossed necrosis .
image shows the natural magnetic declination in the RPW8 gene and the effect on the intercrossed phenotype of the Arabidopsis thaliana plant . Variants with short RPW8 gene ( green , brown ) do not have hybrid gangrene unlike those with recollective ( iterate ) RPW8 cistron ( pink ) . [ Credit : PLOS Genetics ]
The investigator applied a technique jazz as the genome - all-embracing association mapping field of study ( GWAS ) to the exemplar plant Arabidopsis thaliana in this research . GWAS is an crucial instrument to identify genetic pas seul in works which are consociate with a particular trait . It give up the researchers to discover Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms ( SNPs ) which mark the causal natural variation in the genome creditworthy for growth - resistance craft - off . These SNPs are like postal codes showing the genetic information that are associate with autoimmune symptom in industrial plant . The SNPs were found to be located side by side to a multi - gene clump which is sleep together to bestow immunity to powdery mildew ( a fungal disease that regard a wide-cut range of plants ) . The team found that having multiple copies of this readiness of genetic codes ( RPW8 ) in Arabidopsis thaliana is detrimental as it triggers its autoimmunity mechanism even in the absence of pathogens .
Prof Chae say , “ The plant Arabidopsis thaliana used in our discipline belongs to the Brassicaceae family , and the family members include vegetables such as Brassica oleracea italica , kale , cabbage , leaf mustard and bok choy . Our squad is presently assessing the variableness of the plant immune system , particularly on the powdery mildew resistance factor bunch in this family , and if the variability is associated with heightened electric resistance and/or trade - off between immunity and increment . ”
beginning : National University of Singapore
