June 20, 1996

Contacts:
Randy Shoemaker, Agronomy/USDA-ARS, (515) 294-6233
Eve Wurtele, Botany, (515) 294-8989
Kan Wang, Agronomy, (515) 294-4429
Brian Meyer, Agricultural Information, (515) 294-0706

EDITOR'S NOTE: This release was part of a series of articles provided to the Iowa Soybean Promotion Board for its annual Soybean Supplement.

NEW ISU SERVICE MAY CHANGE DIRECTION OF SOYBEAN RESEARCH

AMES, Iowa -- Scientists looking to the future of soybeans are looking forward to a new service offered by Iowa State University.

"ISU's Plant Transformation Facility could change the direction of soybean research," said Randy Shoemaker, a USDA soybean geneticist at ISU.

The Plant Transformation Facility is believed to be the first full-service public facility for inserting genes into soybean and corn genetic material. Because transformation is technically demanding and expensive, it has largely been an activity of private labs.

"Scientists in university and government labs have been working to identify and isolate genes of importance to soybeans," Shoemaker said. "But on their own, they haven't had the resources to take the next step - inserting the genes into plants. With the opening of this facility, I think we'll see a shift in research toward more genetic engineering to achieve new, high-value traits."

Eve Wurtele, an associate professor of botany, said, "The facility will provide the expertise for any scientist who wants to try putting a new gene into soybean. Scientists are identifying genes that may result in soybeans with new or different oil and protein composition, improved pest or disease resistance, better processing abilities or high-value products like pharmaceuticals.

"Who knows," Wurtele added, "perhaps there'll be a gene without obvious agronomic benefit that may end up being beneficial to the soybean industry. When we can efficiently transform soybeans, it's going to open up even more ideas for making new products from soybeans."

The facility will insert genes into soybeans using a bacterium that in nature transfers genes to plants, causing tumors to form. Scientists remove the tumor-causing gene and replace it with a useful gene. The modified bacterium transfers the gene of interest into the soybean's DNA.

One of the first priorities for the facility is to conduct research to improve the soybean transformation process. The North Central Soybean Research Program (NCSRP) has awarded a three-year, $1.9 million grant to ISU and four other universities to work toward that goal. The NCSRP is a multi-state initiative combining soybean checkoff dollars from nine Midwestern states to fund regional research efforts.

"Transformation is more difficult for soybeans than for some other important crops, like corn," said Kan Wang, the facility's director. "It can be done, but it's a lengthy, labor-intensive process with low efficiency. If we can develop more straightforward and efficient methods, it will hasten the genetic improvement of soybeans."

The facility was made possible by funding from the Iowa Soybean Promotion Board, the Iowa Corn Promotion Board and several ISU offices. The facility is located in ISU's Department of Agronomy.

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