12/5/96

Contacts:
Tom Peterson, Zoology & Genetics, (515) 294-6345
Brian Meyer, Agriculture Information, (515) 294-0706

CORN COLOR PROVIDES ISU WITH CLUES ON GIVING DIRECTION TO GENES

AMES, Iowa -- Biotechnology researchers have made great strides in finding and modifying genes to improve plants. The problem has been getting the genes to work where they're supposed to inside the plant.

Iowa State University researchers are working to understand gene regulation, including the mechanisms that direct genes to turn on in specific areas of a plant.

Tom Peterson, an associate professor of zoology and genetics, is studying a gene in corn that determines the colors of the kernels, cobs, tassels and other parts around the ear. "I want to find out how the gene produces distinct patterns of color in specific tissues," Peterson said.

For the gene to begin its coloring mission, it needs a signal that turns it on and tells it where to do its job. This signal is provided by a piece of genetic material called a promoter. According to Peterson, the promoter could be used to propel other useful genes into action.

"Once we know more about the promoter, we might hook it up with a gene that produces compounds that repel fungal or insect invaders," Peterson said. "The same promoter that makes kernels a certain color might also switch on a gene to provide the kernels with a defense against fungal infection or insect feeding."

The promoter would pinpoint where the gene is expressed &emdash; a precisely aimed rifle shot where pests are causing the problem, rather than a shotgun effect throughout the whole plant, Peterson said. He has collaborated with other researchers who are trying to use the color gene and its promoter to produce a natural compound in the corn silks to fend off earworms.

In his work, Peterson has cloned different forms of the color gene and their promoters. He is now trying to put the cloned genes back into plants to see if they produce the expected color patterns. "When you insert a gene and a promoter in a plant, you may not get the results you expect," he said. "We're trying to learn why this happens and answer some fundamental questions about how genes work."

Peterson's research is funded with a $120,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.

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