A vaccine for edible plants? A new plant protection method on the horizon

Pests and plant diseases can cause crop losses and can be a threat to global food security. The disease is now fought with a pesticide, that is sprayed all over plants and could also cause harm to your health. Dr. Minna Poranen found a new approach to plant protection, which involves plants fighting against pathogens with double stranded RNA molecules. This can be sprayed directly onto the leaves without harmful consequences. This vaccine triggers an innate defense mechanism of plants known as a RNA inference. This is beneficial because you can choose which pathogens you want to target by using RNA molecules, which share sequence, identify with the pest's genes, which prevents their expression. This allows us to target the plant disease or pest and keeps the expression of genes in the plant protected.  The Academy of Finland’s Synthetic Biology Research Programme demonstrated the efficacy of RNA based vaccines, using it against plant virus infections.  There is no release date as to when this vaccine will be made available because there is no relevant legislation yet.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180405100141.htm

http://www.sciencenewsline.com/news/2018040601170074.html

Great White Sharks and Tuna Share Common Genes That Allow Them To Be Top Predators

Great White Sharks and Tuna have evolved independently from one another for 400 million years. Despite this, scientists from the Imperial College London looking at these two species have found evidence that suggests that these two fish have similarities in many of their genes that allow them to be dominant predators. Genes linked to traits such as quick swimming behavior, metabolism and the animals ability to produce energy were passed down in both groups and expressed in both. These common genes amongst species that evolved independently of each other could help researchers determine the relationship between genetics and physical traits.

Physical traits are difficult to link directly to specific genes as gene expression can be different in every individual. Tuna and Great White Sharks live completely separate lives but both are top predators with similarly expressed genes. Examining two different species with comparable gene expression is extremely valuable for scientists to find the link between the genes a physical traits on display. In order to do this, the team members on this project collected muscle tissue from sharks as well as tuna to see all the genes that were expressed. In doing this, it was able to be determined that genes could be seen in both species that were associated with different functions such as a higher metabolism being selected for in these sharks. This could spark more questions to be asked on genetic expression and its link to physical traits.

Size does matter, but with the help of evolution, scientists say otherwise

At Aarhus University, a group of researchers come to understand that if a protein-coding gene is too short it is rendered inactive. They have revealed that a gene’s activity is dependent on the space between the start and the end of the gene. The output of this gene lowered if the distance between the start and end is too short. Genes like replication-dependent histone genes are extremely short, but they contain specialized terminators that prevent the gene from being slowed down. This shows that naturally short genes have adapted by evolving into these specialized terminators for better gene expression completely bypassing their size limitations.

Hit the Switch!

Dr. Alex Deiters, chemist at NC State, was determined to find a way to control triplex-forming oligonucleotides (TFOs). TFOs are molecules used to prevent gene transcription on double-stranded DNA. 

Deiters used a light-activated cage to the TFO to inhibit its activity.

When the cage is exposed to UV light, it is removed and the TFO is no longer inhibited. Deiters then adjusted the process of attaching the cage so that in when there is no UV light, the TFO acts normally, but in the presence of UV light, the cage activates and slows down the TFO. This research produced a tool allowing for other researchers to study gene behavior in the environment of their choice with the simple flick of a switch.

Dieting While Pregnant Can Cause Epigenetic Gene Changes

A recent study published in the FASEB journal have shown connections between diet and nutrition during pregnancy and the likelihood of the offspring getting type II  diabetes or suffer from obesity. It has been found that dieting during the time of pregnancy, especially during the final stages, as well as having twins can affect the offspring's ability to control and handle blood glucose levels. THese connections are both interesting and important for research because they are epigenetic, or not inherited from the parent to the offspring.



 

These changes occur during the fetal changes and are caused by behavior in the mother. This is leading to a knew saying, "We are what our mothers ate" since a mothers diet is now being connected to these epigenetic changes. These changes are not changes in the sequence of DNA, but an alteration of structure or histone/protein arrangement in the DNA molecules.