20.109(F08): T/R Team Purple's Research Proposal: Difference between revisions
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*different colors | *different colors | ||
*reducing costs to make plant cheaper for public | *reducing costs to make plant cheaper for public | ||
**cheaper methods of producing both plant and spray | |||
**perhaps more research to make this trait heritable through seeds |
Revision as of 09:45, 18 November 2008
Proposal
We propose to create a bonsai nightlight by genetically altering a bonsai plant to introduce three functions:
- luminescence of floral parts (probably petals if not the whole flower as petals are the prominent part of the flower)
- regulation of luminescence by day/night cycles
- switch (possibility to "turn off" the luminescence within a half-an-hour time period)
Stuff to Consider
- Species of bonsai
- Gene expression in flowers
- emphasize proteins expressed ONLY in flowers (probably use petals because theyre the prominent part?...)
- Gene/protein used for glowing
- Luciferase
- Luciferin substrate
- fusion effects?
- Day/night cycles - luminescence only at night
- Looking at time-of-the-day-sensitive plants and genes responsible for sensitivity to sunlight
- How to link luciferase expression with genes associated with day/night cycles
- Perhaps use genes associated with time-sensitive proteins (is there such thing?) instead of light sensitivity to avoid the weird "feedback loop problem"
- Possibility to turn luminescence "off" (by spraying or watering, for example)
- Compound that catalyzes degradation of luciferase
- Receptors that would allow the compound into the cell
- modify receptors already present
- introduce receptors from another species/specifically engineered receptors
- append ligands to luciferase degraders
- Side effects
- Will light from glowing flowers mess up natural day/night cycle of bonsai?
- Will it mess up year-long cycles?
- Will life expectancy of bonsai decrease?
- Harmful to people? (It shouldn't be...)
- Actual trials with the genetically engineered plant will answer the above questions (except for harmful to people - probably do animal trials?)
- Additional requirements for plant upkeep? (because it might spend a lot of energy producing the glow) - trials will show if more ATP is needed, in which case, more genetic alteration is needed
Research
- Luciferase Expression
- Firefly Luciferase Gene: Structure and Expression in Mammalian Cells
- http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=365129
- Luciferase cDNA
- Transient and Stable Expression of the Firefly Luciferase Gene in Plant Cells and Transgenic Plants
- http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/1698089.pdf
- pretty much says luciferase works in plants - has that glowing picture of a plant that we can use in presentation
- What has been done with luciferin and GFP (along with controversies)
- http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/kabernd/seminar/2002/edible/pt.htm
- First luminescent plant - orchid (needs addition of luciferin substrate)
- Firefly Luciferase Gene: Structure and Expression in Mammalian Cells
- Luciferin
- Tracer studies on dinoflagellate luciferin with [15N]-glycine and [15N]-l-glutamic acid in the dinoflagellate Pyrocystis lunula
- http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6THS-47T7SX0-3M&_user=501045&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000022659&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=501045&md5=b0bbe109e31508e26827a9e054e655c6
- Luciferin biosynthesis pathway (or rather first draft of it)
- Tracer studies on dinoflagellate luciferin with [15N]-glycine and [15N]-l-glutamic acid in the dinoflagellate Pyrocystis lunula
- Finding Genes for Petal Pigmentation
- Control of Pigment Biosynthesis Genes during Petal Development
- http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=160358&blobtype=pdf
- an explanation on the process of pigment synthesis in petals of plants, can look through references of this paper to find more potentially useful articles?
- Pigment Composition and Characterazation of Anthocyanin Synthese Gene in Dianthus
- http://sciencelinks.jp/j-east/article/200317/000020031703A0537067.php
- description of specific genes relating to pigmentation of Dianthus flowers (major pigment cyanidin)
- Control of Pigment Biosynthesis Genes during Petal Development
- Switch: Luciferase inhibitor
- Kinetics of inhibition of firefly luciferase by oxyluciferin and dehydroluciferyl-adenylate
- http://www.rsc.org/publishing/journals/PP/article.asp?doi=b809935a
- Byproducts of luciferase-luciferin luminescence inhibit luciferase activity (in vitro only)
- False Positives in a Reporter Gene Assay: Identification and Synthesis of Substituted N-Pyridin-2-ylbenzamides as Competitive Inhibitors of Firefly Luciferase
- http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/doilookup/?10.1021/jm8004509
- luciferase inhibitors (maybe better internalization possible?..)
- Kinetics of inhibition of firefly luciferase by oxyluciferin and dehydroluciferyl-adenylate
- Cryptochrome (a possible gene we could use associated with light sensitivity / day-night cycles
- CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS: Clock Photoreceptor Shared By Plants and Animals
- http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/282/5394/1628?ck=nck
- look for the gene for cryptochrome or a homolog of it in bonsai, and try linking it with the gene for luciferase
- may not work due to sensitivity to light - trials will show
- CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS: Clock Photoreceptor Shared By Plants and Animals
Proposed (General) Plan of Action
- insert genes involved in luciferin biosynthetic pathway in bonsai DNA
- fuse one gene involved in lucifering biosynthetic pathway to a gene expressed only in floral parts in order to constitutively synthesize luciferin in flower region
- insert luciferase gene into bonsai DNA and link it to a gene expressed at night (find a gene associated with day/night cycles)
- that way, light will only be produced at night, when luciferin and luciferase are both produced in plant flower cells
- clone gene coding for a receptor responsible for transport of the luciferase inhibitor inside the cell
- the spray will place luciferase inhibitor on the cell surface allowing for internalization through the receptor and inactivation of luciferase
Future Improvements to the Project
- different colors
- reducing costs to make plant cheaper for public
- cheaper methods of producing both plant and spray
- perhaps more research to make this trait heritable through seeds