Universidad Politécnica de Madrid Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

CBGP-UPM Researchers describe a new system to reveal the function of plant genes

Knowledge of the complete genome of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana has revealed that there are about 1,500 genes in this organism. They are called transcription factors (FT) and regulate the more than 25,000 genes contained in this plant. This regulation is very complex and often mediated by specific combinations between FTs and DNA promoters that regulate genes (target genes).

Researchers at the Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Genomics (CBGP) and the Department of Biotechnology of Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, took part in the development of a system that will accelerate the discovery and characterization of these complex transcriptional networks as well as improving agronomic characteristics of plants.

The results of this research have been included in a paper published in the journal PLoS ONE, coordinated by Dr. Luis Oñate Sánchez, in collaboration with Professor Pilar Carbonero, both researchers at the CBGP (UPM-INIA), and with the participation of renowned Spanish groups.

Research Summary

The development of plants and their responses and adaptations to environmental factors are under the control of complex mechanisms regulating gene expression. These mechanisms determine when, where and how much expresses a gene for the proper development of plants.

One of these mechanisms, the control of transcription, is mediated by genes that encode proteins such FT. These proteins bind to specific DNA sequences which are present in the promoter regions that precede the genes under its control. The regulation of the FTs can be modified based on their ability to interact with each other.

The FTs have played a crucial role during the evolution of plants and the domestication and improvement of agronomic traits of crops. For example morphological differences between the current corn and its ancestor whic enable more efficient collection, or increased yield in wheat and rice in the "green revolution". The FTs also have enormous biotechnological potential because they have improved the nutritional content, drought resistance, cold and salinity, and so on.

DNA sequences of promoters of interest have been used for comparison with the equivalent of promoters in other species of Brassica with different degrees of evolutionary relationship A.thaliana.