Scientists Tinker with Switchgrass mRNA for Bioenergy

Now that the biofuels industry is gaining momentum, scientists are studying the genetic make-up of plants to increase ethanol production. At the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the focus is on switchgrass, and this time, it is not the DNA of switchgrass that draws attention from scientists but fragments of genetic material called messenger RNA (mRNA). mRNA is produced when genes are expressed (switched on), and it serves as a template for protein synthesis.

Determining the presence and the nucleotide sequences of the mRNA snapshots provides clues as to which genes have been turned on or shut off during such moments, according to Gautam Sarath, ARS molecular biologist. At least 12 out of 12000 switchgrass gene fragments are associated with genes that regulate the production and deposition of lignin. Lignin binds with sugar molecules, and therefore lowers the available sugar for ethanol production. Plant breeders and biofuels producers can use the genetic information to conventionally breed or genetically engineer new varieties of the grass with a diminished capacity to produce lignin.

Read the news article at http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=1261.