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Development of molecular approaches for the assessment of unintended consequences of GM technology

Reference	BBS/E/F/00041217
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Dr Anthony Michael
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	Quadram Institute Bioscience
Department	Quadram Institute Bioscience Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	1,279,561
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/04/2000
End date	31/03/2005
Duration	60 months

Abstract

The relationship between gene expression, message RNA stability and protein translational efficiency is poorly understood and yet each of these processes could be subject to unintentional consequences of GM technology. Factors that affect message stability could, for instance alter the amount of message encoding antinutritional proteins, and factors that altered translational efficiency could globally affect protein accumulation. Most studies in plants have concentrated on stability of gene expression at the level of genomic stability and transcriptional stability. We are looking at downstream processes that are likely to be more global in their consequences for cellular physiology and for safety and nutritional attributes. We are using high density cDNA arrays of Arabidopsis genes in combination with mRNA populations prepared from RNA associated with low numbers of ribosomes (poorly translated) and mRNAs prepared from RNA associated with high numbers of ribosomes (efficiently translated). This will enable us to determine if individual messages are moving from being poorly expressed to efficiently expressed and vice versa in transgenic model plants compared to normal plants. We are also investigating the role of translational efficiency on mRNA stability as it has become apparent that there is an intimate link between the two levels of regulation. Finally we are determining the effect of changes in levels of key metabolites on the translational process by employing cDNA arrays, proteomic and metabolic profiling approaches

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Plant & Microbial Sciences (PMS)
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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