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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 5, 2000)
Je sday, Decem ■esdny. December 5, 2000 science Page 5A THE BATTALION (Germination termination A.&M biology professor uses genetic sequencing to create pest-resistant strains of rice Bv Arun Arjunan The Battalion Crop biotechnology has made headlines recently as one of the latest in- tovative technologies in agricultural science. Dr. Timothy C. Hall, a Texas A&M distinguished professor of biology,» nd his team of researchers have developed specific genes called “stealth genes’’ to increase rice plants’ resistance to insects and other pests. Traditionally, toxic chemicals have been used to keep insects from dam- iging rice crops. Hall said that instead of spraying plants with insecticides, genetic engi- 10 are nolle neering may make the rice plants resistant to pests. He is looking to devel op wnit 0 p strains of rice that will produce insect- killing proteins, which would liminate the need for chemical insecticides. “We are interested in killing insects that eat rice plants, like the rice wa ter weevil,” he said. “This insect feeds on the leaves and lays its eggs on them. When the eggs hatch, larvae grow and spend about a month chewing the roots.” Hall and his research team insert the new genes in the seeds of rice plants. When the plants develop, the genes express, or produce, insect-killing pro teins in their roots. Hall said ideally, this procedure should keep water wee vils from eating the roots. He said that although the process can be carried out effectively, it is not simple. Through its research, Hall’s team discovered that many of the in sect-killing genes were either not expressed or expressed only in the early vith in lives. Mil;: t little dm- he too loot« B) Jason hr steps of plant growth. “This lack of expression, also called gene silencing, is a way for plant cells to protect themselves from invasion,” Hall said. “When we put the gene in, it is seen by the plant cells as an invasive event, so there are vari ous ways in which the cells turn off the expression of the foreign gene.” Hall said gene silencing works like a human immune system. As soon as a new piece of DN A enters the genome (the complete set of genes on the chromosome of an organism), the plant recognizes it as a foreign element and silences the gene through biochemical means. Silencing mechanisms may permanently eliminate the genes. Hall and' his team have encountered various silencing systems. One method of silencing involves a process known as methylation. This is when a gene is introduced and then chemically modified to distinguish the new gene from the native gene to determine if the genes are affected by the si lencing mechanisms. Hall and his team are designing fluorescent markers to highlight the po sition of the introduced genes in the plant genome. “We hope to be able to tell exactly where our genes are inserted and whether it really does make a difference where the (introduced gene] is in serted,” Hall said. Hall said the rice genome sequence should be completely finished in the next few months, which should aid in the study of gene silencing. “By changing various regions in [the introduced genes], we hope to be able to make the rice resistant to the water weevil,” he said. “But we still need to learn a lot about the many ways in which gene silencing is achieved.” RUBEN DELUNA/The Battalion nternational antibiotic project helps prevent blindness in Africa he Wendok lions of sue! ^ ing disease in two African pilot projects, and ith the Vi. ing andfrir t drags on i )eop!e wlio ;nough actic ans interest: n-fans. T1k eval settint li-historici GENEVA (AP) — An international pro gram to eliminate trachoma said Monday it has made major progress against the blind- will expand to target 30 million more people. The International Trachoma Initiative said its combination of hygiene and antibiotics has cut the disease’s prevalence by more than half in the programs since they started last year. The findings from the project involving 2 million people in remote regions of Tanzania and Morocco will be presented this week to the World Health Organization, which wants to eliminate by 2020 what it calls the world’s leading preventable cause of blindness. The initiative was established in 1998 through a public-private partnership between the New York City-based Edna McConnell Clark Foundation and drug giant Pfizer Inc., which donated its oral antibiotic Zithromax to the program. The Tanzanian and Moroccan projects combined Zithromax with health education that emphasized facial hygiene. Pfizer will now contribute 10 million dos es of the drug — valued at $14 per dose — and $6 million to cover operating expenses over the next three years, the initiative said Monday. It said $27.4 million will be contributed over the next five years by the Clark Foun dation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Britain. The money will be used to target millions more people in the six countries where the initiative is already underway — Ghana, Mali, Morocco, Sudan, Tanzania and Viet nam — and start new programs in other countries. Trachoma once was a threat worldwide. With improved sanitation, it was eliminated from North America and Europe. But it still has left some 6 million people blind in developing countries and affects an estimated 150 million. It is easily transmitted, with blindness fol lowing multiple infections that leave scarring on the inside of the eyelids, causing it to turn inward and damage the cornea by brushing it constantly with the eyelash. Infections are spread person-to-person, mostly by children as they rub red, sticky eyes or by flies that pick up the germs from faces unwashed because clean water is so scarce that families walk miles for a mere bucket. Since the 1950s, treatment had meant ap plying an ointment of the antibiotic tetracy cline directly to the eyes twice a day for six weeks. The thick ointment stung and children in particular did not comply. ison i it a per JnsIv^ I AIR NEEDS OAK MAH S WELCOUf lOar 61 y /VvT'T ? A wf x ^ ^ i yutfa .. HOUMY CH££R 1 sprig of mall shopping 1 gathering of family and friends 1 dash of common sense 1 mug under mistletoe 0 drinks are needed if you are a minor, pregnant, intending to drive, or an alcoholic 3 cups of holiday spirit (optional) 3 cups of water (more to taste) Assemble your ingredients (Before going out to celebrate, make a plan about your drinking behavior and how to get home safely) Guarantee the quality of your ingredients (Never leave your drink unattended and always know what you are drinking) Recipe is best prepared on a full stomach (Eat a high protein meal before drinking to slow absorption of alcohol) Add 1 cup holiday spirit, alternating with as much water to taste CAUTION: More than 3 cups holiday spirit per recipe may spoil your holiday cheer (Drinking no more than 1 drink per hour while alternating alcohol free drinks, like water, and setting a limit at 3 drinks, will maintain a lower blood alcohol concentration) For the best Holiday Cheer: use ingredients in moderation Alcohol and Drug Education Programs Ph: 845-0280 Texas A&M University .. a pan of the Division of Student Affairs Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday!!! 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