Gene from Bacteria Helps Plants Use Hardly Digestible Organic Phosphorous

Natural stocks of phosphorous are expected to last for the next 60 years, but researchers from Kazan University in Russia are looking for ways to prevent a catastrophe as excess phytate levels in the soil pose a long-term risk for sustainable agriculture.

A group of researchers supervised by Prof. Margarita Sharipova conducted a unique bioengineering experiment: the phytase gene of Pantoea agglomerans (Gram-negative and known to be an opportunistic pathogen) was introduced to Arabidopsis plants to increase their ability to break down highly stable and insoluble phosphorus compounds.

The transgenic plants express phytase at both the transcription and translation levels and can serve as a model to better understand the effects of bacterial phytase expression in plant tissues on plant metabolism, growth and development. While some microbial phytases can be used to engineer plants that are able to grow on phosphate-depleted medium, others can be used to engineer low-phytate plants that are better suitable for animal feed and less likely to contribute to increased environmental pollution.

For more details, read the news article at the Kazan Federal University website.