Evaluation of novel surfactants for plant transformation.

Objective: Assess the efficiency of seven novel surfactants, relative to the typical Silwet L-77, for floral dip transformation of Arabidopsis.

Results: Floral dip transformation of Arabidopsis has been used consistently for 20 years with little change in the protocol. Here we directly compare seven novel surfactants (BREAK-THRU-OE446, S200, S233, S240, S279, S301 and SP133) to the standard Silwet L-77 for efficiency of Arabidopsis transformation providing an example of how the surfactants can help other plant transformation protocols.

Isolation of novel citrus and plum fruit promoters and their functional characterization for fruit biotechnology.

Background: Promoters that confer expression in fruit tissues are important tools for genetic engineering of fruit quality traits, yet few fruit-specific promoters have been identified, particularly for citrus fruit development.

Results: In this study, we report five citrus fruit-specific/preferential promoters for genetic engineering. Additionally, we have characterized a novel fruit-preferential promoter from plum.

Phenotypic Examination of (L.) Crantz Accessions from the USDA-ARS National Genetics Resource Program.

(L.) Crntz. is a hardy self-pollinated oilseed plant that belongs to the family; widely grown throughout the northern hemisphere until the 1940s for production of vegetable oil but was later displaced by higher-yielding rapeseed and sunflower crops.

A bacterial gene codA encoding cytosine deaminase is an effective conditional negative selectable marker in Glycine max.

Research describes the practical application of the codA negative selection marker in Soybean. Conditions are given for codA selection at both the shooting and rooting stages of regeneration. Conditional negative selection is a powerful technique whereby the absence of a gene product allows survival in otherwise lethal conditions.

AXR1-ECR1 and AXL1-ECR1 heterodimeric RUB-activating enzymes diverge in function in Arabidopsis thaliana.

RELATED TO UBIQUITIN (RUB) modification of CULLIN (CUL) subunits of the CUL-RING ubiquitin E3 ligase (CRL) superfamily regulates CRL ubiquitylation activity. RUB modification requires E1 and E2 enzymes that are analogous to, but distinct from, those activities required for UBIQUITIN (UBQ) attachment. Gene duplications are widespread in angiosperms, and in line with this observation, components of the RUB conjugation pathway are found in multiples in Arabidopsis.

Regulation of cullin RING ligases.

The ubiquitin/26S proteasome pathway largely mediates selective proteolysis in the nucleus and cytosol. This pathway catalyzes covalent attachment of ubiquitin (UBQ) to substrate proteins in an E1-E2-E3 cascade. Ubiquitin E3 ligases interact with substrates to catalyze UBQ transfer from E2 to substrate.

The type III effector repertoire of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae B728a and its role in survival and disease on host and non-host plants.

The bacterial plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae injects a large repertoire of effector proteins into plant cells using a type III secretion apparatus. Effectors can trigger or suppress defences in a host-dependent fashion. Host defences are often accompanied by programmed cell death, while interference with defences is sometimes associated with cell death suppression.