Most animals are corn feed, however corn is missing one of the key amino acids, methionine. Without methionine animals will not grow. Methionine is also important for tissue repair, improves the tone and flexibility of skin and strengthen nails. In an article by ScienceDaily, they mention researchers at Rutgers University- New Brunswick using E. Coli bacterial gene and inserting it into the corn's genome. From here they grew several generations. The enzyme from E. Coli, EcPAPR, increased methionine production in corn by 57%. This is significant because each year several billions of dollars are spent on synthetically producing methionine to add to corn fields. This study will save the agriculture industry money.
Wow! This is pretty neat. Whenever I hear the words E. Coli bacteria, I don't really think of any positive things. I usually think of the sickness that was spread around from Taco Bell a few years back. It's so interesting to see how helpful the gene in this bacteria really can be for things! This could definitely help change the future for the agriculture industry.
ReplyDeleteI would never think of E.Coli doing something better to us. So, this article was interesting to me that how the gene in E. Coli can save agricultural industry money. The enzyme from E. Coli increased methionine production by 57%, and Rutgers University is using E. Coli bacterial gene and inserting them in corn's genome. Good things to know for our future corn, agricultural environment.
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