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Scientists can now delete genes in plants that form beneficial plant chemicals aka Cancer fighting chemicals.
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Original Message
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"Taking advantage of this information, and using sophisticated genetic and analytical techniques, Saito and colleagues found that the genes UGT79B1 and UGT84A2, which encode enzymes called UDP-dependent glycosyltransferases (UGTs), clustered with other genes involved in producing anthocyanins. When they deleted the UGT79B1 gene in Arabidopsis plants, they found it drastically reduced anthocyanin production. Further experiments, using genetically engineered UGT79B1, allowed them to uncover the precise biochemical function of the UGT79B1 enzyme, including its substrate specificity.
The UGT84A2 gene was already known to encode an enzyme that attaches glucose to a molecule called sinapic acid—a building block of anthocyanin sinapoylation, which is a chemically modified type of the anthocyanin molecule. Saito and colleagues experiments revealed that the level of sinapoylated anthocyanin was greatly reduced in mutants lacking the UGT84A2 gene.
The researchers were also able to study the evolutionary relationships of the UGT enzymes in various plant species. “Our work provides a ‘roadmap’ for anthocyanin modification routes in Arabidopsis and other plants,” says Saito."
[link to www.researchsea.com]
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