DNA in Moss Opens Biotechnology Doors

November 9, 2009

Plasmids--DNA molecules capable of independent replication in cells--have played an important role in gene technology. Researchers at Uppsala Univ. in Sweden have demonstrated that plasmid-based methods, which had been limited to single-cell organisms such as bacteria and yeasts, can be extended to mosses, opening the door to applications of a number of powerful techniques in plant research.

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The findings have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Hans Ronne's research team works with the diminutive Physcomitrella moss, which is widely used in research because its genes are easier to "knock out" than those of other plants. Previous work has also shown that DNA introduced into Physcomitrella cells is capable of self-replication through an as yet uncharacterized process.

The new study, which was led by Eva Murén and PhD student Anders Nilsson, shows that plasmids introduced into moss cells can be rescued back to bacteria without affecting the plasmids' original structures, provided that certain conditions are met. Up to now, various kinds of rearrangements have sharply limited the use of plasmids in animal- and plant-cell research.

"Our work with plasmids in moss suggests that it will be possible to use powerful methods such as gene cloning by complementation and over expression directly in plant cells without recourse to single-cell organisms like bacteria or yeasts," says Hans Ronne. "This, in turn, may simplify basic and applied research and biotechnology involving plants."

Source: Uppsala Univ.

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Tim Studt
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