- Email: [email protected]
Good vibrations
452
News & Comment
TRENDS in Plant Science Vol.6 No.10 October 2001
In Brief
tomato spotted wilt virus, which induced large necrotic lesions on non-transgenic controls, but was not detectable by ELISA in areas immediately adjacent to the inoculated region of any transgenic leaves. The authors conclude that these dramatic effects on cell-death pathways and DNA laddering are directly attributable to the anti-apoptotic activity of the transgene products, as a loss-of-function mutant responded as non-transgenic controls when challenged with S. sclerotiorum. ‘…DNA laddering…was induced by S. sclerotiorum in susceptible nontransgenic tobacco leaves but not in resistant plants harbouring functional anti-apoptotic transgenes.’ These data strongly suggest that at least some plant pathogens induce disease in plants by activating PCD pathways, and they challenge the view that plant cell death in susceptible interactions is merely the ravaging of defenceless plant tissue by degradative enzymes and toxins. One possibility is that the invading pathogen could commandeer PCD pathways, which when activated in resistant plant responses result in the formation of local lesions, limiting pathogen spread as part of the HR. Interfering with plant PCD pathways might therefore provide a means of generating resistance to necrotrophs in commercial crops. Moreover, the conferral of resistance phenotypes on plants by animal anti-apoptotic proteins suggests a degree of functional overlap between plant and animal PCD processes. This possibility is given further credence by recent evidence in plants for the existence of caspases, a highly conserved family of regulatory cysteine proteases that constitute the enzymatic component of a central tripartite death switch in apoptosis. In view of these parallels, further elucidation of the mode of action of antiapoptotic proteins in animals should provide insight into their cytoprotective effect in plants and inform the dissection of plant PCD pathways. 1 Dickman, M.B. et al. (2001) Abrogation of disease development in plants expressing animal antiapoptotic genes. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 98, 6957–6962
Nicola T. Wood [email protected] http://plants.trends.com
Match-making service for research students Are you a student having trouble finding the right PhD project? Are you fed-up searching through dozens of university websites to find the one that is just right for you? A recently launched web site should make the process much more straightforward. FindAPhD.com [http://www.findaphd.com] lists PhD projects in chemical, physical, earth and life sciences and engineering that are available in the UK and Ireland. This free site, which also aims to put postdoctoral researchers in touch with suitable projects, already contains over 2000 entries for life sciences, is continually updated, and is reviewed at http://www.bioview.com/ community/rev.html. NC
Good vibrations
Courtesy of USDA.
Did you know that the vibrations generated by tapping a tomato could be used to judge its firmness, and thus used as a method of grading the fruit? Unfortunately, the irregular internal structure of the tomato means that tapping it at different positions will give different vibrations, which make grading inconsistent. However, Bart de Ketelaere of the Laboratory of Agricultural Machinery and Processing in Leuven (Belgium) has discovered that tapping the tomato at its south pole (the bottom of the fruit) produces the same type of vibration, which ensures consistent grading. [New Sci. 9 June (2001) p. 19] NC
Space harvest Arabidopsis plants grown in space returned to Earth in late July. To explore the possibility of growing vegetables in space, the plants spent three months aboard the International Space Station. Unlike previous experiments, the Arabidopsis
plants grew just as quickly in space. Scientists at the Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics (WCSAR) will determine whether space-grown plants can complete life cycles and propagate indefinitely. Weijia Zhou, WCSAR’s director, told reporters that space scientists are ‘very anxious to know whether there’s technology to develop a food so that the crew can eat fresh vegetables every day.’ Growing plants in space can lead to unexpected results, such as in 1998, when space-grown roses resulted in a new fragrance because of the zero gravity conditions. [Belsie, L. (2001) The Christian Science Monitor 23 July, p. 2] TS
Patent sprouts controversy A contentious US patent gives the company Brassica Protection Products (BPP) full rights over who can grow broccoli sprouts. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD, USA) discovered that broccoli sprouts have high levels of sulforaphane glucosinolate, an antioxidant that might be useful in cancer prevention. The researchers received a US patent, now licensed by BPP, which gives the company the exclusive right to grow broccoli sprouts, regardless of variety or growth conditions. To date, the company has five lawsuits pending against five non-compliant sprout growers. Jay Louie, president of the International Sprout Growers Association told reporters, ‘The process of growing sprouts is in the public domain.’ Not according to Brigid Quinn spokesperson for the US Patent and Trademark Office, who upheld the patent’s validity. [Dornbusch, J. (2001) The Boston Herald 8 August, p. 47] TS
Singapore slings plant research While just six years old, the future of Singapore’s Institute of Molecular Agrobiology (IMA) remains uncertain. In July, Singapore’s National Science and Technology Board Chairman, Philip Yeo, told reporters at Nature that keeping IMA open is a ‘criminal waste of taxpayer’s money. We [in Singapore] have no agriculture.’ The new appointment of Ho Ching as IMA’s president in November 2000, dispelled rumors suggesting its closure. In the past year, the government made clear that Singapore would
1360-1385/01/$ – see front matter © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
News & Comment
TRENDS in Plant Science Vol.6 No.10 October 2001
In Brief
tomato spotted wilt virus, which induced large necrotic lesions on non-transgenic controls, but was not detectable by ELISA in areas immediately adjacent to the inoculated region of any transgenic leaves. The authors conclude that these dramatic effects on cell-death pathways and DNA laddering are directly attributable to the anti-apoptotic activity of the transgene products, as a loss-of-function mutant responded as non-transgenic controls when challenged with S. sclerotiorum. ‘…DNA laddering…was induced by S. sclerotiorum in susceptible nontransgenic tobacco leaves but not in resistant plants harbouring functional anti-apoptotic transgenes.’ These data strongly suggest that at least some plant pathogens induce disease in plants by activating PCD pathways, and they challenge the view that plant cell death in susceptible interactions is merely the ravaging of defenceless plant tissue by degradative enzymes and toxins. One possibility is that the invading pathogen could commandeer PCD pathways, which when activated in resistant plant responses result in the formation of local lesions, limiting pathogen spread as part of the HR. Interfering with plant PCD pathways might therefore provide a means of generating resistance to necrotrophs in commercial crops. Moreover, the conferral of resistance phenotypes on plants by animal anti-apoptotic proteins suggests a degree of functional overlap between plant and animal PCD processes. This possibility is given further credence by recent evidence in plants for the existence of caspases, a highly conserved family of regulatory cysteine proteases that constitute the enzymatic component of a central tripartite death switch in apoptosis. In view of these parallels, further elucidation of the mode of action of antiapoptotic proteins in animals should provide insight into their cytoprotective effect in plants and inform the dissection of plant PCD pathways. 1 Dickman, M.B. et al. (2001) Abrogation of disease development in plants expressing animal antiapoptotic genes. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 98, 6957–6962
Nicola T. Wood [email protected] http://plants.trends.com
Match-making service for research students Are you a student having trouble finding the right PhD project? Are you fed-up searching through dozens of university websites to find the one that is just right for you? A recently launched web site should make the process much more straightforward. FindAPhD.com [http://www.findaphd.com] lists PhD projects in chemical, physical, earth and life sciences and engineering that are available in the UK and Ireland. This free site, which also aims to put postdoctoral researchers in touch with suitable projects, already contains over 2000 entries for life sciences, is continually updated, and is reviewed at http://www.bioview.com/ community/rev.html. NC
Good vibrations
Courtesy of USDA.
Did you know that the vibrations generated by tapping a tomato could be used to judge its firmness, and thus used as a method of grading the fruit? Unfortunately, the irregular internal structure of the tomato means that tapping it at different positions will give different vibrations, which make grading inconsistent. However, Bart de Ketelaere of the Laboratory of Agricultural Machinery and Processing in Leuven (Belgium) has discovered that tapping the tomato at its south pole (the bottom of the fruit) produces the same type of vibration, which ensures consistent grading. [New Sci. 9 June (2001) p. 19] NC
Space harvest Arabidopsis plants grown in space returned to Earth in late July. To explore the possibility of growing vegetables in space, the plants spent three months aboard the International Space Station. Unlike previous experiments, the Arabidopsis
plants grew just as quickly in space. Scientists at the Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics (WCSAR) will determine whether space-grown plants can complete life cycles and propagate indefinitely. Weijia Zhou, WCSAR’s director, told reporters that space scientists are ‘very anxious to know whether there’s technology to develop a food so that the crew can eat fresh vegetables every day.’ Growing plants in space can lead to unexpected results, such as in 1998, when space-grown roses resulted in a new fragrance because of the zero gravity conditions. [Belsie, L. (2001) The Christian Science Monitor 23 July, p. 2] TS
Patent sprouts controversy A contentious US patent gives the company Brassica Protection Products (BPP) full rights over who can grow broccoli sprouts. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD, USA) discovered that broccoli sprouts have high levels of sulforaphane glucosinolate, an antioxidant that might be useful in cancer prevention. The researchers received a US patent, now licensed by BPP, which gives the company the exclusive right to grow broccoli sprouts, regardless of variety or growth conditions. To date, the company has five lawsuits pending against five non-compliant sprout growers. Jay Louie, president of the International Sprout Growers Association told reporters, ‘The process of growing sprouts is in the public domain.’ Not according to Brigid Quinn spokesperson for the US Patent and Trademark Office, who upheld the patent’s validity. [Dornbusch, J. (2001) The Boston Herald 8 August, p. 47] TS
Singapore slings plant research While just six years old, the future of Singapore’s Institute of Molecular Agrobiology (IMA) remains uncertain. In July, Singapore’s National Science and Technology Board Chairman, Philip Yeo, told reporters at Nature that keeping IMA open is a ‘criminal waste of taxpayer’s money. We [in Singapore] have no agriculture.’ The new appointment of Ho Ching as IMA’s president in November 2000, dispelled rumors suggesting its closure. In the past year, the government made clear that Singapore would
1360-1385/01/$ – see front matter © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.