Impact/Purpose:

Environmental pollutants pose health risks such as cancer. The overall goal is to develop an understanding of how trees interact with their environment at the molecular level and use this knowledge to develop bio-based molecular technologies to solve pollution problems. To accomplish the overall goal, the specific objectives are to: 1] Develop a tree with zinc hyper-accumulation ability through gene transfer from Thlaspi caerulescens to poplar for use in bioremediation; and 2] Harness fluorescent energy transfer to provide a tree that monitors metal contamination in soil/water.

Description:

Transformation of heavy-metal related genes from a hyper-accumulator to a high-biomass species is expected to promote a zinc hyper-accumulating phenotype in the normally non-hyper-accumulating poplar. Coupling fluorescence with heavy metal proteins is anticipated to allow monitoring of metal influx in the tree via light emissions. Consequently, this project is expected to provide high-biomass species with an accumulation and monitoring phenotype which is pursuant to a goal of ensuring plant, animal, and human safety.

Record Details:

Record Type:PROJECT( ABSTRACT )

Start Date:08/01/2007

Completion Date:07/31/2010

Record ID: 184426

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Related Organizations:

Role :OWNER

Organization Name :MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY - MAIN CAMPUS

Citation :Mississippi State

State :MS

Zip Code :39762

Project Information:

Approach :

Development of a high-biomass, zinc hyper-accumulator will involve genetic engineering. Genes involved in metal transport and detoxification from the metal hyper-accumulating T. caerulescens will be identified and inserted into poplar. Engineered trees will be grown in the presence of various zinc concentrations, harvested, and measured for zinc abundance. Development of a tree with metal monitoring capabilities will require fusion of fluorescent proteins to proteins involved in metal uptake and transport. This will involve vector construction, sequencing, gene transformation, and metal assays in poplar. Poplar is used because it is a high-biomass species whose genome has been sequenced and gene transformation procedures have been well-established.

Cost :$.00

Research Component :Fellowship - Forestry

Approach :

Development of a high-biomass, zinc hyper-accumulator will involve genetic engineering. Genes involved in metal transport and detoxification from the metal hyper-accumulating T. caerulescens will be identified and inserted into poplar. Engineered trees will be grown in the presence of various zinc concentrations, harvested, and measured for zinc abundance. Development of a tree with metal monitoring capabilities will require fusion of fluorescent proteins to proteins involved in metal uptake and transport. This will involve vector construction, sequencing, gene transformation, and metal assays in poplar. Poplar is used because it is a high-biomass species whose genome has been sequenced and gene transformation procedures have been well-established.

Cost :$.00

Research Component :Academic Fellowships

Approach :

Development of a high-biomass, zinc hyper-accumulator will involve genetic engineering. Genes involved in metal transport and detoxification from the metal hyper-accumulating T. caerulescens will be identified and inserted into poplar. Engineered trees will be grown in the presence of various zinc concentrations, harvested, and measured for zinc abundance. Development of a tree with metal monitoring capabilities will require fusion of fluorescent proteins to proteins involved in metal uptake and transport. This will involve vector construction, sequencing, gene transformation, and metal assays in poplar. Poplar is used because it is a high-biomass species whose genome has been sequenced and gene transformation procedures have been well-established.

Cost :$.00

Research Component :Hazardous Waste/Remediation

Project IDs:

ID Code :F07D10079

Project type :Fellowship