Chromosome Imbalances Cause Predictable Plant Defects

Purdue University researcher Brian Dikes revealed that physical defects in plants can be predicted based on chromosome imbalances. This finding could lead to the explanation of how the addition or deletion of genes and the arrangement of the genome affect plants as well as animals; and upon comprehension of the nature of such imbalances, defects could be corrected.

"The ability of an organism to replicate and pass on all its genes is incredibly important," Dilkes said. "What we've found is that genes are sensitive to their dose relative to the rest of the genome. When that balance is disrupted, the organisms fail."

"By learning the rules, we can predict the outcome of adding or deleting a gene from an organism," Dilkes said. "We see predictable physical consequences for variation in chromosome dosages. This problem is tractable." For instance, Dikes and colleagues have observed that plants with excess chromosome 1 and a defect on chromosome 3 would have increased stem diameter.

For more details, visit http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/research/2010/101103DilkesChromosomes.html.