Engineering of plant systems

bokchoy100

The University of Cambridge has a long history as a centre for study of the natural history and function of plant systems. New initiatives continue to promote these activities in Cambridge. Interdisciplinary approaches to understanding the genetic and biophysical basis of morphogenesis are providing opportunities for rational design and engineering of new plant forms. The pages in this section provide links to recent research and web-based resources.

 

www.synbio.org.uk

SpannerPlantLogo70 logoplate70  
Plant news:
The root hair and nonhair cells in the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) root epidermis are specified by a suite of transcriptional regulators. Two of these are WEREWOLF (WER) and CAPRICE (CPC), which encode MYB transcription factors that are required for promoting the nonhair cell fate and the hair cell fate, respectively. However, the precise function and relationship between these...
Auxin is a key plant morphogenetic signal but tools to analyse dynamically its distribution and signalling during development are still limited. Auxin perception directly triggers the degradation of Aux/IAA repressor proteins. Here we describe a novel Aux/IAA-based auxin signalling sensor termed DII-VENUS that was engineered in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The VENUS fast maturing form of...
  Easy Bloom and USB Greenhouse — Your computer can help you go green. Who knew? The Easy Bloom Plant Sensor reads and analyzes growing conditions at specific points in your house or yard by measuring a variety of factors, including sunlight, humidity, soil moisture and drainage. Greenthumbs might not be impressed, but nothing can crush an amateur grower like the seeds of your effort...
Plant development results from controlled cell divisions, structural modifications, and reorganizations of the cell wall. Thereby, regulation of cell wall behaviour takes place at multiple length scales involving compositional and architectural aspects in addition to various developmental and/or environmental factors. The physical properties of the primary wall are largely determined by the...
Genetic transformation of monocotyledonous plants still presents a challenge for plant biologists and biotechnologists, since monocots are difficult to transform with Agrobacterium tumefaciens, whereas other transgenesis methods, such as gold particle-mediated transformation, result in poor transgene expression due to integration of truncated DNA molecules. We developed a novel method of...
Israeli horticulturists have developed a gothic crossbreed of tomato that is red on the inside, black on the out. To create the 'Black Galaxy' tomato, the breeders crossbred tomatoes with wild varieties. The dark colour comes from a pigment similar to one found in blueberries. The pigment is photosensitive so the longer the tomato is left on the vine in the sun, the darker it gets. (via...
    The first land plants pretty much ruined the entire planet The first, moss-like plants emerged on land about 470 million years ago. In just 25 million years, they stripped the planet of vital minerals, wrecked Earth's carbon cycle, started an ice age, and caused a mass extinction of marine life. That's the finding of researchers at Oxford and the University of Exeter, who set out to...
Monsanto has announced it will scrap plans to sell an insect-resistant maize in France, the second move in a week by biotech company to retreat from the genetically modified foods market in Europe. Monsanto's announcement on Tuesday (24 January) came a week after Germany's BASF said it would suspend the development of GM crops in Europe and move its plant science arm to the United...
Hormone signaling plays diverse and critical roles during plant development. In particular, hormone interactions regulate meristem function and therefore control formation of all organs in the plant. Recent advances have dissected commonalities and differences in the interaction of auxin and cytokinin in the regulation of shoot and root apical meristem function. In addition, brassinosteroid...
The shoot and root apical meristems (SAM and RAM) formed during embryogenesis are crucial for postembryonic plant development. We report the identification of POPCORN (PCN), a gene required for embryo development and meristem organization in Arabidopsis thaliana. Map-based cloning revealed that PCN encodes a WD-40 protein expressed both during embryo development and postembryonically in the SAM...

<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next > End >>

Page 1 of 28


Powered by AlphaContent 4.0.18 © 2005-2012 - All rights reserved

Weather in Cambridge

°F°C
Cambridge, UK
Overcast
Humidity: 93%
Wind: SW at 6 mph
Sun
Partly Sunny
0 | 2
Mon
Fog
-1 | 3
Tue
Mostly Sunny
-3 | 1
Wed
Partly Sunny
-2 | 2