Scientists Use MAGIC to Identify Useful Plant Gene Combinations

A US $4 million, five-year study that could help increase crop yield, stress tolerance and disease resistance is underway at Purdue University. The scientists are using a new technique called "mutant-assisted gene identification and characterization" or MAGIC to identify potentially useful gene combination in crops. MAGIC uses Mendelian mutants or other genetic variants in a trait of interest as reporters to identify novel genes and variants for that trait. The technique is akin to enhancer-suppressor screens commonly used in laboratories. But instead of relying on ‘artificial variations’, the technique reveals variation created over million years of evolution.

The scientists, led by Guri Johal, said that MAGIC is a ‘back to nature’ approach. They noted that wild and exotic crop relatives possess a wealth of genes that code for beneficial traits. "Mutagenesis has worked well, but we are reaching a period of diminishing returns," Johal said. "We've identified most of the genes that have effects on their own, but now we need to understand how combinations of genes interact. We suggest going back to nature to find additional genes involved in a wide range of different processes."

Read the full article at http://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2008b/081112JohalMAGIC.html