(Via The Plant Cell current issue.)
]]>(Via The Plant Cell current issue.)
]]>(Via PNAS.)
]]>(Via PLoS Computational Biology.)
]]>(Via Plant and Cell Physiology.)
]]>Metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli using synthetic small regulatory RNAs: "
Nature Biotechnology. doi:10.1038/nbt.2461
Authors: Dokyun Na, Seung Min Yoo, Hannah Chung, Hyegwon Park, Jin Hwan Park & Sang Yup Lee
(Via Nature Biotechnology - AOP - nature.com science feeds.)
]]>Autonomous bacterial localization and gene expression based on nearby cell receptor density
Hsuan-Chen Wu, Chen-Yu Tsao, David N Quan, Yi Cheng, Matthew D Servinsky, Karen K Carter, Kathleen J Jee, Jessica L Terrell, Amin Zargar, Gary W Rubloff, Gregory F Payne, James J Valdes & William E Bentley
Molecular Systems Biology: "Citation: Molecular Systems Biology 9:636, 2013.
]]>Shared control of gene expression in bacteria by transcription factors and global physiology of the cell.
Sara Berthoumieux, Hidde de Jong, Guillaume Baptist, Corinne Pinel, Caroline Ranquet, Delphine Ropers & Johannes Geiselmann
(Via.) Molecular Systems Biology 9:634, 2013.
]]>Keywords:directed evolution; genome engineering; metabolic engineering; synthesis; synthetic chassis
Introduction The phrase ‘genome-scale engineering’ invokes a future in which organisms are custom designed to serve humanity. Yet humans have sculpted the genomes of domesticated plants and animals for generations. Darwin’s contemporary William Youatt described selective breeding as ‘that which enables the agriculturalist, not only to modify the character of his flock, but to change it altogether. It is the magician's wand, by means of which he may summon into life whatever form and mold he pleases’ (Youatt, 1837). Selective breeding has transformed aurochs into Holsteins, wolves into Chihuahuas and Great Danes, and teosinte into maize. All of these examples involved genomic changes at a scale dwarfing any attempted through rational design. Understanding why genomes have been more readily shaped by evolutionary principles than conventional design-based approaches is important for current and future genome engineering endeavors.
Engineering is a human enterprise consisting of iterative cycles of design, construction, and testing. Optimizing this iterative process involves balancing the relative time, costs, and expected benefits gained at each phase. However, rationally designing and building a genome to produce the desired phenotype has proven exceedingly difficult. Designing organisms to specification requires accurately predicting phenotype from genotype, a complex problem that is worsened by our incomplete knowledge of biomolecule production, degradation, and interaction rates. Moreover, the computational resources required to run bottom-up molecular-level simulations are daunting even for simpler systems (Karr et al, 2012; Koch, 2012). Nevertheless, models have been useful for generating new hypotheses and targeting promising areas for engineering. Yet, even with the best in silico predictions, we are still limited by our ability to construct the designed genome. More than any other factor, the absence of molecular tools for manipulating genomic sequences has forced us to rely on selective breeding and evolutionary optimization (Conrad et al, 2011) rather than rational genome design.
Recent breakthroughs in genomics and genome editing have promised a greater role for rational design in biological engineering (Figure 1), offering new opportunities for systems and synthetic biologists aiming to reverse-engineer naturally evolved systems and to build new systems. In particular, advances in high-throughput DNA sequencing and large-scale biomolecular modeling of metabolic and signaling networks represent two important new frontiers that aid genome-scale engineering. Over the last few years, thousands of bacterial genomes have been sequenced from a wide variety of natural species and numerous laboratory-generated strains (Pagani et al, 2012). These efforts have illuminated many essential features of the core genome (Lukjancenko et al, 2010), the extent and importance of genetic heterogeneity across populations (Avery, 2006), the ubiquity of horizontal gene transfer (Smillie et al, 2011), and the evolution and selection of functional genetic elements (David and Alm, 2011). At the same time, new computational tools have used the flood of data to model metabolic processes and signaling networks across the entire cell, generating many new testable hypotheses (Lewis et al, 2012). Most importantly, emerging advances in de novo synthesis and in vivo gene targeting allow empirical validation of these model-driven hypotheses. By building and testing synthetic variants of biological systems, we have a unique opportunity to decipher the constraints imposed by the complexity of evolved systems and develop strategies for engineering living systems more conducive to quantitative modeling and rational design.
Figure 1 A historical timeline of selected advances leading to genome-scale engineering.
Here we review recent technologies that empower design-based genome engineering approaches, identify potential bottlenecks, discuss strengths and limitations of strategies employing rational design versus evolution, and consider future applications of genome-scale engineering. We advocate a synergistic engineering strategy that adopts the best aspects of rational genome design and evolutionary optimization."
This paper is part of the series on Systems Biology Technologies.
Genome-scale engineering for systems and synthetic biology. Kevin M Esvelt & Harris H Wang
(Via.) Molecular Systems Biology
]]>Europeans raced across oceans and continents during the Age of Exploration in search of territory and riches. But when they reached the South Pacific, they found they had been beaten there by a more humble traveler: the sweet potato. Now, ..."
Clues to Early Age of Exploration Found in Sweet Potato Genome
(Via Wired Science.)
]]>Flowers aren't everyone's cup of tea, but the latest project from minimalist filmmaker and photographer Andrew Zuckerman could make even the biggest skeptic fall in love with blooms. His book of photography, Flower, renders some familiar species so crisply they're almost unrecognizable as something you'd see in your neighbor's garden.
In Flower, Zuckerman says he aims 'to translate the essential nature of his subjects and unearth qualities that have previously escaped scrutiny.'
The hefty coffee table tome is the result of an investigation of over 300 species, providing an intimate, pared-down look at the botanical world. Filmmaker David Lynch sings his praises on the book's back cover: 'These photographs of flowers taken by Andrew Zuckerman are pure.' And everyone knows you can't argue with a book blurb from David Lynch.
You can check out more multimedia associated with the project on the Flower website.
Click here to enter the gallery
The Most Amazing Photos Of Flowers You've Ever Seen
(Via Popular Science -.)
]]>If you're wondering what in the world are those neon orange balls growing on a beech tree, you're in good company. See, it was Charles Darwin himself who first encountered the strange balls when he landed in Tierra del Fuego during his voyage on the HMS Beagle.
Turns out, the neon-colored balls known as 'beech orange' are actually a fungus named Cyttaria darwini (yes, named after the biologist in his honor). But that's not the strangest thing about the fungus. Turns out, you can make an alcoholic drink out of them!
Darwin himself noted they made up a substantial portion of the diet of the natives of Terra del Fuego and grew ‘in vast numbers on the beech trees’. He observed that the women and children collected their beech oranges when ‘tough and mature’, and that they had a ‘mucilaginous, slightly sweet taste, with a faint smell like that of a mushroom.’
Another South American group — the Araucans of Chile — discovered and capitalized upon the happy fact that Cyttaria harioti contains up to 15% fermentable sugars and that, like grapes, come naturally coated with the yeast Saccharomyces. This would be the same Saccharomyces that has made the fortunes of Fleischman’s, Budweiser, and half of France.
After drying, grinding, and mixing beech oranges with warm water and allowing nature to take its course, the Araucans enjoy an alcoholic beverage called chicha del llau-llau made from the ripe fruiting bodies, according to Bryce Kendrick’s The Fifth Kingdom.
Jennifer Frazer of Scientific American's The Artful Amoeba blog has the post: Link
(Via Neatorama.)
]]>Photo: Michael 'Nick' Nichols/The National Geographic
How do you photograph a 3,200-year-old giant sequoia that rises 247 feet from the ground? Michael 'Nick' Nichols did it by stitching together 126 images into one fantastic photo of an absolutely majestic tree.
The next question is how did he take those individual pictures? For the answer to that question, you have to watch the video clip:
The National Geographic has the fascinating article by David Quammen about these forest giants: Link | Photo Gallery
(Via Neatorama.)
]]>Macro photos of coral take us to underwater alien worlds
(Via io9.)
]]>Setting up specialized grow lights that mimic the sun's rays is a good solution, but you can get similar results with LEDs. We connected three inside a clear plastic tube to make a 'light spike' that you can stick into a pot for direct exposure, and added a controller that adjusts the brightness.
MATERIALS
Project box
Drill
2.1-mm power-connector jack
10-position header
100k-ohm slide potentiometer
Soldering iron and solder
Electrical wire
10k-ohm resistor
Wire strippers
White LED design kit
Five clear plastic tubes with endcaps
Five two-position connectors
15-volt 1A wall-mount power supply
STEP 1
Drill six holes in your project box to accommodate the various components, then assemble the controller by mounting the power-connector jack inside the box and the 10-position header and the 100k-ohm slide potentiometer on the box's sides.
STEP 2
Wire the box according to the circuitry diagram.
STEP 3
Cut the wire inside the LED design kit into five equal lengths. Attach the red wire to the red connector, and the black wire to the black connector, on each LED strip. Slip each strip inside a clear tube, and seal it with the endcaps so that it's watertight.
STEP 4
Add the two-position connectors that will hook up the tubes and the box. Attach each one to the red and black wires from each LED strip.
STEP 5
Press a spike into your plant container. Keep all wiring, electrical connections, and the LED strips away from soil and moisture.
STEP 6
Plug the spikes' two-position connectors into the control box's 10-position header, and connect the power supply to turn the LEDs on.
STEP 7
Adjust the slide potentiometer to control the brightness of the spikes, and watch your garden grow.
This project was excerpted from The Big Book Of Hacks: 264 Amazing DIY Tech Projects, a compendium of ingenious and hilarious projects for aspiring makers. Buy it here. And for more amazing hacks, go here.
(Via Popular Science -.)
]]>(Via Plant and Cell Physiology.)
]]>(Via Nature Methods.)
]]>In plants, basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors play important roles in the control of cell elongation. Two bHLH proteins, PACLOBTRAZOL RESISTANCE1 (PRE1) and Arabidopsis ILI1 binding bHLH1 (IBH1), antagonistically regulate cell elongation in response to brassinosteroid and gibberellin signaling, but the detailed molecular mechanisms by which these factors regulate cell elongation remain unclear. Here, we identify the bHLH transcriptional activators for cell elongation (ACEs) and demonstrate that PRE1, IBH1, and the ACEs constitute a triantagonistic bHLH system that competitively regulates cell elongation. In this system, the ACE bHLH transcription factors directly activate the expression of enzyme genes for cell elongation by interacting with their promoter regions. IBH1 negatively regulates cell elongation by interacting with the ACEs and thus interfering with their DNA binding. PRE1 interacts with IBH1 and counteracts the ability of IBH1 to affect ACEs. Therefore, PRE1 restores the transcriptional activity of ACEs, resulting in induction of cell elongation. The balance of triantagonistic bHLH proteins, ACEs, IBH1, and PRE1, might be important for determination of the size of plant cells. The expression of IBH1 and PRE1 is regulated by brassinosteroid, gibberellins, and developmental phase dependent factors, indicating that two phytohormones and phase-dependent signals are integrated by this triantagonistic bHLH system.
(Via The Plant Cell current issue.)
]]>(Via Plant Physiology.)
]]>(Via Plant and Cell Physiology.)
]]>(Via Plant Physiology.)
]]>Nature Reviews Microbiology 11, 73 (2013). doi:10.1038/nrmicro2964
Author: Christina Tobin Kåhrström
Biofilm growth relies on the transport of solubilized nutrients and waste largely by diffusion, but the mechanism of transport over large distances, when diffusion is limited, has been unclear. A recent study reports the discovery of an integrated network of channels that transport liquid through
(Via Nature Reviews Microbiology.)
]]>The xylem in Arabidopsis roots develops as a single row of cells neighboring the undifferentiated procambium. This work determined that two closely related AHL3 and AHL4 transcription factors regulate the boundaries between the xylem and procambium. AHL4 moves from the procambium to xylem in the root meristem, likely as a heteromeric complex with AHL3.
(Via Plant Cell Preview Papers.)
]]>The world’s oldest trees are dying off at an alarming rate, according to recent study by Australian National University professor David Lindenmayer. Research conducted on some of the world’s greatest forests – from Yosemite National Park and the Brazilian Rainforest – shows that the die-off rate of trees between 100 to 300 years is a grave concern, and climate change is one of the biggest reasons for their decline. This beautiful infographic by Michael Paukner shows the locations of some of the world’s oldest – and most at risk – trees.
Via Kateoplis
(Via INHABITAT.)
]]>(Via PLoS Computational Biology.)
]]>Nucleic Acids Res. 2012 Jun 19;
Authors: Ham TS, Dmytriv Z, Plahar H, Chen J, Hillson NJ, Keasling JD
Abstract
The Joint BioEnergy Institute Inventory of Composable Elements (JBEI-ICEs) is an open source registry platform for managing information about biological parts. It is capable of recording information about 'legacy' parts, such as plasmids, microbial host strains and Arabidopsis seeds, as well as DNA parts in various assembly standards. ICE is built on the idea of a web of registries and thus provides strong support for distributed interconnected use. The information deposited in an ICE installation instance is accessible both via a web browser and through the web application programming interfaces, which allows automated access to parts via third-party programs. JBEI-ICE includes several useful web browser-based graphical applications for sequence annotation, manipulation and analysis that are also open source. As with open source software, users are encouraged to install, use and customize JBEI-ICE and its components for their particular purposes. As a web application programming interface, ICE provides well-developed parts storage functionality for other synthetic biology software projects. A public instance is available at public-registry.jbei.org, where users can try out features, upload parts or simply use it for their projects. The ICE software suite is available via Google Code, a hosting site for community-driven open source projects.
PMID: 22718978 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
(Via pubmed: "synthetic biology".)
]]>Related Articles |
Cell. 2012 Aug 3;150(3):647-58
Authors: Khalil AS, Lu TK, Bashor CJ, Ramirez CL, Pyenson NC, Joung JK, Collins JJ
Abstract
Eukaryotic transcription factors (TFs) perform complex and combinatorial functions within transcriptional networks. Here, we present a synthetic framework for systematically constructing eukaryotic transcription functions using artificial zinc fingers, modular DNA-binding domains found within many eukaryotic TFs. Utilizing this platform, we construct a library of orthogonal synthetic transcription factors (sTFs) and use these to wire synthetic transcriptional circuits in yeast. We engineer complex functions, such as tunable output strength and transcriptional cooperativity, by rationally adjusting a decomposed set of key component properties, e.g., DNA specificity, affinity, promoter design, protein-protein interactions. We show that subtle perturbations to these properties can transform an individual sTF between distinct roles (activator, cooperative factor, inhibitory factor) within a transcriptional complex, thus drastically altering the signal processing behavior of multi-input systems. This platform provides new genetic components for synthetic biology and enables bottom-up approaches to understanding the design principles of eukaryotic transcriptional complexes and networks.
PMID: 22863014 [PubMed - in process]
(Via pubmed: "synthetic biology".)
]]>J Plant Res. 2012 Feb 4;
Authors: Ishizaki K, Nonomura M, Kato H, Yamato KT, Kohchi T
Abstract
The phytohormone auxin plays a pivotal role in various developmental aspects in land plants. However, little is known of the auxin response and distribution in non-vascular plants. In this study, we made transgenic plants of the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha which express the uidA (GUS) reporter gene under control of the soybean auxin-inducible promoter, ProGH3, and used it to indirectly monitor auxin-mediated transcriptional activation in planta. Transgenic plants carrying ProGH3:GUS showed GUS activity in an auxin-dependent manner. Histochemical GUS staining was observed at the bottom of gemma cups in the process of vegetative propagation. Significant GUS activity was also detected around the gametophyte-sporophyte junction as well as the developing sporophyte after fertilization. These results suggest that the activity of auxin is crucial in both gametophyte and sporophyte development in M. polymorpha, and that the mechanism for auxin-mediated transcriptional activation had already been established when plants emerged on the terrestrial environment.
PMID: 22311005 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
(Via pubmed: marchantia.)
]]>Characterization of 12 polymorphic microsatellite markers in the liverwort Marchantia inflexa (Marchantiaceae).
Am J Bot. 2012 Nov;99(11):e440-2
Authors: Brzyski JR, Adams KJ, Walter CM, Gale KH, McLetchie DN
Abstract
• Premise of the study: Microsatellite markers were developed in Marchantia inflexa, a haploid liverwort with unisexual individuals, to identify clonal genotypes and measure population genetic variability. • Methods and Results: Twelve polymorphic primer sets were developed from three enriched genomic libraries. Primers were fluorescently labeled, and alleles were identified by fragment analysis. These primers were tested in four natural populations and revealed a moderate level of genetic variation within four populations, as indicated by the number of alleles per locus (range = 1-5). • Conclusions: Development of polymorphic markers is crucial to the identification of individuals and will allow additional research into this species, particularly on its population genetics and metapopulation dynamics.
PMID: 23108461 [PubMed - in process]
(Via pubmed: marchantia.)
]]>When a gene is switched on, it is copied into RNA. This RNA is then used to make proteins that are required by the organism for all of its vital functions. If a gene is defective, its RNA copy and the proteins made from this will also be defective. This forms the basis of many terrible genetic disorders in humans.
RNA-binding PPR proteins could revolutionise the way we treat disease. Their secret is their versatility - they can find and bind a specific RNA molecule, and have the capacity to correct it if it is defective, or destroy it if it is detrimental. They can also help ramp up production of proteins required for growth and development.
The new paper in PLOS Genetics describes for the first time how PPR proteins recognise their RNA targets via an easy-to-understand code. This mechanism mimics the simplicity and predictability of the pairing between DNA strands described by Watson and Crick 60 years ago, but at a protein/RNA interface.
This exceptional breakthrough comes from an international, interdisciplinary research team including UWA researchers Professor Ian Small and Aaron Yap from the ARC Centre for Excellence in Plant Energy Biology and Professor Charlie Bond and Yee Seng Chong from UWA's School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, along with Professor Alice Barkan's team at the University of Oregon. This research was publicly funded by the ARC and the WA State Government in Australia and the NSF in the USA.
'Many PPR proteins are vitally important, but we don't know what they do. Now we've cracked the code, we can find out,' said ARC Plant Energy Biology Director Ian Small.
'What's more, we can now design our own synthetic proteins to target any RNA sequence we choose - this should allow us to control the expression of genes in new ways that just weren't available before. The potential is really exciting.'
'This discovery was made in plants but is applicable across many species as PPR proteins are found in humans and animals too,' says Professor Bond. Source : University of Western Australia"
]]>Cell. 2012 Aug 3;150(3):647-58
Authors: Khalil AS, Lu TK, Bashor CJ, Ramirez CL, Pyenson NC, Joung JK, Collins JJ
Abstract
Eukaryotic transcription factors (TFs) perform complex and combinatorial functions within transcriptional networks. Here, we present a synthetic framework for systematically constructing eukaryotic transcription functions using artificial zinc fingers, modular DNA-binding domains found within many eukaryotic TFs. Utilizing this platform, we construct a library of orthogonal synthetic transcription factors (sTFs) and use these to wire synthetic transcriptional circuits in yeast. We engineer complex functions, such as tunable output strength and transcriptional cooperativity, by rationally adjusting a decomposed set of key component properties, e.g., DNA specificity, affinity, promoter design, protein-protein interactions. We show that subtle perturbations to these properties can transform an individual sTF between distinct roles (activator, cooperative factor, inhibitory factor) within a transcriptional complex, thus drastically altering the signal processing behavior of multi-input systems. This platform provides new genetic components for synthetic biology and enables bottom-up approaches to understanding the design principles of eukaryotic transcriptional complexes and networks.
PMID: 22863014 [PubMed - in process]
(Via pubmed: "synthetic biology".)
]]>Nucleic Acids Res. 2012 Jun 28;
Authors: Temme K, Hill R, Segall-Shapiro TH, Moser F, Voigt CA
Abstract
Synthetic genetic sensors and circuits enable programmable control over the timing and conditions of gene expression. They are being increasingly incorporated into the control of complex, multigene pathways and cellular functions. Here, we propose a design strategy to genetically separate the sensing/circuitry functions from the pathway to be controlled. This separation is achieved by having the output of the circuit drive the expression of a polymerase, which then activates the pathway from polymerase-specific promoters. The sensors, circuits and polymerase are encoded together on a 'controller' plasmid. Variants of T7 RNA polymerase that reduce toxicity were constructed and used as scaffolds for the construction of four orthogonal polymerases identified via part mining that bind to unique promoter sequences. This set is highly orthogonal and induces cognate promoters by 8- to 75-fold more than off-target promoters. These orthogonal polymerases enable four independent channels linking the outputs of circuits to the control of different cellular functions. As a demonstration, we constructed a controller plasmid that integrates two inducible systems, implements an AND logic operation and toggles between metabolic pathways that change Escherichia coli green (deoxychromoviridans) and red (lycopene). The advantages of this organization are that (i) the regulation of the pathway can be changed simply by introducing a different controller plasmid, (ii) transcription is orthogonal to host machinery and (iii) the pathway genes are not transcribed in the absence of a controller and are thus more easily carried without invoking evolutionary pressure.
PMID: 22743271 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
(Via pubmed: "synthetic biology".)
]]>Visualization of auxin-mediated transcriptional ... [J Plant Res. 2012] - PubMed - NCBI
(Via.)
]]>It is now possible to control a computer by touching a house plant – touching the plant in different places can even cause the computer to do different things. While using a mouse or touchscreen still might be more intuitive, Disney Research’s experimental Botanicus Interactus system does hint at what could be possible down the road. .. Continue Reading Botanicus Interactus turns plants into multitouch controllers
Related Articles:
Daiwa House, Japan's largest homebuilder, has introduced a line of prefabricated hydroponic vegetable factories, aimed at housing complexes, hotels, and top-end restaurants. Called the Agri-Cube, these units are touted by Daiwa as the first step in the industrialization of agriculture, to be located in and amongst the places where people live, work, and play. .. Continue Reading Agri-Cube grows mass quantities of vegetables in a one-car parking spot
(Via Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine.)
J Plant Res. 2012 Feb 4;
Authors: Ishizaki K, Nonomura M, Kato H, Yamato KT, Kohchi T
Abstract
The phytohormone auxin plays a pivotal role in various developmental aspects in land plants. However, little is known of the auxin response and distribution in non-vascular plants. In this study, we made transgenic plants of the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha which express the uidA (GUS) reporter gene under control of the soybean auxin-inducible promoter, ProGH3, and used it to indirectly monitor auxin-mediated transcriptional activation in planta. Transgenic plants carrying ProGH3:GUS showed GUS activity in an auxin-dependent manner. Histochemical GUS staining was observed at the bottom of gemma cups in the process of vegetative propagation. Significant GUS activity was also detected around the gametophyte-sporophyte junction as well as the developing sporophyte after fertilization. These results suggest that the activity of auxin is crucial in both gametophyte and sporophyte development in M. polymorpha, and that the mechanism for auxin-mediated transcriptional activation had already been established when plants emerged on the terrestrial environment.
PMID: 22311005 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
(Via pubmed: marchantia.)
]]>
British consumers have a new treat: the "papple". Described as a cross between an apple and a pear, it is actually a cross between different pear varieties. But it is just one of an array of oddly shaped, strangely flavoured and strikingly colourful fruits grown around the world.
For centuries, humans have taken the wild fruit that nature has to offer and cultivated its most desirable features by cross-breeding different varieties, or by simply selecting the best fruits of a native variety to seed another crop.
Here are some of the most tempting and bizarre results.
Lemons: Originating in India, lemons are a natural hybrid of a citron and an orange. Use them to make homemade mint lemonade
Grapefruit: Created by happy accident when an Asian pomelo tree was transported to a Barbados glasshouse. It naturally hybridised with a native sweet orange producing what was called at the time, the "forbidden fruit". Use it to create adevilled mackerel with orange and grapefruit salad
Loganberry : Dark red, large and juicy, this berry is a child of the raspberry and wild blackberry. This is perfect in a summer pudding
Yuzu: a Japanese citron hybrid that is very acidic, so used in moderation. The lemon-lime sour flavour has hints of tangerine and pine. It's a key ingredient in chicken goujons with yuzu mayonnaise
The pluot, the plumcot, the apriplum and the aprium are all types of what Americans call "interspecific plums".
Hybrids between different prunus species, they tend to have a much higher sugar content than their parents.
Half plum and half apricot, the plumcot hybrid was named by the botanical pioneer Luther Burbank in the early 20th Century, who created 11 varieties of plumcot.
Sometimes called apriplums, plumcots are a first generation cross between a plum and an apricot. They are shaped like plums with a smooth skin and typically have a red or purple flesh.
By contrast, pluots and apriums are complex combinations of later generations and are trademarks of fruit geneticist, Floyd Zaiger's company.
Whereas pluots are mostly plum with a smooth skin and a fleshy core, apriums are mostly apricot, resembling their dominant ancestor from the outside.
They have a flavour that has been compared to a sweet blend of fruit juices.
Buddha's hand originates from north-eastern India or China and is one of the oldest known citrus fruits in cultivation.
With its long protruding fingers and thick rind, this strongly scented fruit has no internal flesh and is considered inedible in many parts of the world.
The plant produces dark green foliage and small white flowers with a heady scent of citrus blossom which fruits from late spring to late summer. It can be grown in a well-drained pot or in a sheltered area outdoors.
In China the fruit has been used for centuries as a medicinal herb to treat indigestion and sore throats. It can also be used in marmalades and to flavour sweet and savoury dishes. The Chinese also pickle the fruit in salt to remove its bitterness and then wash it, steam and dry it, so that it can be candied in a similar way to lemon zest.
Buddha's hand symbolises happiness and a long life in China and is traditionally given as a New Year's offering to household gods.
It is known for its pungent aroma, which is loved by some and loathed by others. But it's not just the smell that keeps people away from this fruit, which is native to south-east Asia.
It's also hard to get close to the edible flesh of the durian fruit due to its spiky exterior, making it difficult to handle if you don't know how.
In countries like Malaysia where it is found, it has been nicknamed the "king of fruit" because its flesh has a complex taste, which is said to be similar to caramel and fine French cheese.
In fact food journalist Fuchsia Dunlop, a self-confessed "fan of durian" says it has a "bewitching succulence".
There are 30 described species, and it is rich in potassium as well as other minerals and vitamins. It actually has the same nutritional and bio active properties as avocado and mango, and can be recommended as part of disease-preventative diets, a study in the International Journal of Food Science and Technology found.
If you've ever seen what looks like green caviar, chances are it's the fruit of microcitrus australasica.
The delicacy is also known as "citrus caviar", the juicy spheres are full of lime flavour, and "pop" in you mouth when eaten.
From the outside, finger limes look longer than traditional limes and are shaped like gherkins.
They come in an array of colours, not just green, but also black, orange, yellow and pink.
Discovered by early settlers, the finger lime is now commercially cultivated in Australia and in the United States as demand for "gourmet bush tucker" grows.
Top chefs and mixologists have begun incorporating the fruit in dishes and drinks around the world.
The miracle berry plant originates in Ghana, West Africa where it has been grown for centuries.
The plant is better known for its taste enhancing berries which make sour or bland foods taste sweeter after eating.
The effect is produced by the glycoprotein miraculin contained within the flesh of the fruit, which tricks the tongue's taste-bud receptors into experiencing a much sweeter flavour.
The "sugar hit" is said to last between 30 minutes to an hour after eating.
In 1968 an attempt was made to extract and sell the plant's miraculin protein in tablet form.
However, in the 1970s the US Food and Drug Administration put a ban on the commercialisation of the berry until further research was carried out.
The miracle berry has no legal status in the EU but is sold in tablet form as a dietary supplement in the US. In Japan, the berry is popular amongst dieters who use it as a sweetener in rosehip tea and desserts such as lemon gelato.
]]>(Via Cell.)
]]>The first time Tullis Onstott ventured underground, he squeezed into an elevator with dozens of South African gold miners and descended a mile into a pit called Mponeng. His goal: Finding the bizarre, hardy microbes that survive in sweltering, inhospitable rock. A geologist by training, Onstott spent his early career studying the Earth’s crust—until he heard a talk in 1993 about colonies of bacteria living thousands of feet below the surface. Ever since, he has made dozens of deep expeditions, sometimes paying his own way, and discovered bacteria living more than two miles beneath the surface in 140-degree-Fahrenheit heat. By investigating microbes in these harsh environments, Onstott is gleaning clues about how life could have begun in Earth’s hot, chaotic early days—and about what it might look like on other worlds. Even his office is underground, in the basement of Princeton University’s geology building, where Onstott met with DISCOVER reporter Valerie Ross.
The first time you went underground to look for life, in 1996, you had no idea what to expect. What was that trip like?
The miners took me into the stopes, the tunnels where they mine gold, to sample the rocks. We were looking at an organic rock layer just millimeters thick that had lots of carbon, because we
figured somewhere with a lot of carbon was a good place to look for life. The stopes are a meter high and they tilt downward at a steep angle, so you go down them almost like a slide, passing from one tunnel to the next. I basically slipped into a rabbit hole and got this big chunk of rock. I put it in an autoclave bag [normally used for sterilizing equipment], stuffed it in my knapsack, and then I went down the stope further until I came out the bottom into another, deeper tunnel.
What did you do with the sample you collected?
We measured the rock’s radioactivity. The Geiger counter showed it was hot as a pistol, so we sealed it up in a steel canister and filled the canister with argon gas, which pushed out all the oxygen. Organisms that live deep down are not normally exposed to oxygen, and in fact it could be toxic to them. So we sealed the rock away until we could get it back into the lab. I checked this radioactive rock inside a steel thing as baggage on a plane. This was 1996. Airport security was not like it is today.
When you analyzed the sample back at your lab, did you find any life?
We found one bacterium species similar to one previously identified from a hot spring in New Mexico. But the surprise was that this particular species could do something the other hot spring organisms could not: reduce [i.e., transfer electrons to] iron, which is present in minerals that are abundant in the mine’s rocks, and uranium, part of soluble compounds found in water in the mine. That helped us understand how they got their energy...
Image: Onstott keeps a carefully sealed workspace in his lab at a high temperature and free of oxygen—just like home for the bacteria he studies. Photo: Jess Dittmar
(Via Discover Magazine.)
]]>(Via Trends in microbiology.)
]]>(Via BMC Bioinformatics.)
]]>(Via Nucleic Acids Research.)
]]>(Via Nucleic Acids Research.)
]]>(Via Nucleic Acids Research.)
]]>(Via Planta.)
]]>The race for bio-based synthetic rubber development continues with new players - Japan-based specialty chemical firm Ajinomoto and tire company Bridgestone Corp.
According to Ajinomoto's press release, the two companies will jointly developed isoprene ( a key chemical intermediate for synthetic rubber manufacture) using biomass for feedstock. The companies have been jointly doing research since June 2011.
Ajinomoto said it has already successfully manufactured bio-isoprene at a laboratory-scale using fermentation process, and that Bridgestone has also succesfully produce polyisoprene rubber using the material.
Ajinomoto and Bridgestone said they plan to decide on the potential for commercialization in 2013. It seems Ajinomoto has been especially active this year in the bio-based chemicals arena such as its partnership with Toray on the development of nylon raw material 1,5 pentanediamine using plant-based amino acid lysine.
Back to isoprene, another tire and rubber company working on bio-based isoprene is Goodyear with its partner DuPont Industrial Biosciences. Goodyear said in March that the two companies have already demonstrated proof of the technology through the production of a prototype tire made with DuPont and Goodyear's BioIsoprene monomer.
The two companies said they expect additional investments to establish pilot plant operations and manufacturing infrastructure. Unfortunately, no timeline has been disclosed.
AND ONE MORE!
European rubber and tire company Michelin is also working with US-based Amyris for the development of bio-isoprene using Amyris' farnesene. Amyris expects to begin commercialization of the bio-isoprene in 2015, with Michelin reportedly committing off-take columes on a ten years basis.
Amyris is also working with Japan chemical firm Kuraray to develop high-polymers by replacing petroleum-based butadiene and isoprene feedstock with Amyris' farnesene molecule.
Other companies working on bio-based chemical feedstock for synthetic rubbers includes:
Glycos Biotechnologies - bio-based isoprene
Aemetis - bio-based isoprene
Genomatica - bio-based butadiene
Global Bioenergies - bio-based butadiene in collaboration with Synthos. Bio-based isobutene (which can be converted to isoprene) in collaboration with LanzaTech.
Elevance - bio-based rubber compounds in collaboration with Hutchinson Worldwide
Gevo - bio-based rubber compounds in collaboration with Lanxess
(Via ICIS Green Chemicals.)
]]>(Via Nucleic Acids Research.)
]]>