Precise and Efficient Genetic Improvement of Cereal Seeds EC funded Framework Programme-5 research project Start date: 21/12/2000, duration 36 months contract number: QLK3-CT-20000-00302. Dr. Gregorio Hueros Soto, Universidad de Alcalá, Dpto. Biologia Celular y Genética, Madrid, Spain.

Introduction Cereal seeds are agriculture's most important renewable resource for food and industrial raw material. Conventional methods for the improvement of quality and yield have produced spectacular advances in the past. Future developments will involve tapping the vast potential of the modern technology of plant modification. The chances of successful modification increase if the activity of the transgenecan be precisely directed to the targeted cells. This requires the isolation and characterisation of many more cell type-specific promoters than are currently available.

Objectives ^ Seed Design aims to isolate at least two functional promoter sequences for each of the cereal seed compartments, thus allowing to efficiently modifying seed composition. This will be of enormous potential benefit for both European farmers and consumers by improving quality and diversity of products. In addition, this technology will allow the EU seed Industry to keep abreast of global competition.

Workpackage-1 ^ Promotor Identification: Partners will identify compartiment specific genes, their promotor sequences will be fused to GUS and introduced into maize and wheat. Transgenic plants will be analysed for GUS expression.

		Compartiment specific genes characterised		Upstream genomic sequences isolated and fused to GUS		Transgenic maize or wheat plants
Sagittal section of a maize seed showing the compartiments that SeedDesign aims to tag.								Histochemical GUS assay of a transgenic maize seed transformed (in this example) with a transfer cell specific promotor fused to GUS

Workpackage-2 ^ Promotor use: Selected genes with a potential influence in seed yield and/or quality will be fused to those promotors characterised within the project. Transgenic maize plants will be generated and anaysed.

By using SeedDesign promotors the endosperm (in this example) of a maize seed could be transformed into an Iron storage compartment.

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Co-ordinator: Dr. G. Hueros Soto, Universidad de Alcalá, Mailing address: Dpto. Biologia Celular y Genética. Univ. Alcalá E-28871, Alcalá de Henares (Madrid), Spain. E-mail: gregorio.hueros@alcala.es ; Fax: +34918854799 ; Phone: +34918854758 Participants: CR2. Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Werr, Universitaet zu Koeln, Institut fuer Entwicklungsbiologie. Universitaet zu Koeln, Gyrhofstr. 17. D-50931 Koeln. Germany. E-mail: w.werr@uni-koeln.de ; Fax: +49 221 470 5164 ; Phone: +49 221 470 2619 CR3. Dr. R.D. Thompson, Max-Planck-Institut fuer Zuechtungsforschung, MPI fuer Zuechtungsforschung, Abt. Plant Breeding. Carl-von-Linne Weg 10, D-50829 Koeln. Germany. E-mail: thompson@mpiz-koeln.mpg.de ; Fax: + 49 221 5062 413 ; Phone: + 49 221 5062 440 CR4. Dr. Peter Rogowsky, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, RDP ENS-Lyon 46 allee d'Italie F-69364 Lyon, Cedex 07, France. E-mail: progowsk@ens-lyon.fr ; Fax: +33 4 72 72 86 00 ; Phone: +33 4 72 72 86 07 CR5. Dr. Pascual Perez, Biogemma, Coordonateur de Recherche Transformation Maïs.Biogemma S.A.S. Campus Universitaire des Cézeaux. 24, avenue des Landais, 63170 Aubiere, France. E-mail: pascual.perez@biogemma.com ; Fax: +33 4 73 27 57 36 ; Phone: +33 4 73 42 79 77 Subcontractors: SCR1. Prof. Dr. H. Steinbiss Max-Planck-Institut fuer Zuechtungsforschung Mailing address: : working group on cereal transformation (ATM), MPI fuer Zuechtungsforschung, Carl-von-Linne Weg 10, D-50829 Koeln. Germany. E-mail: steinbis@mpiz-koeln.mpg.de SCR2. Dr. Gert E. de Vries, Plant Industrial Platform, Secretariat Plant Industrial Platform, Meerweg 6, 9625 PJ Overschild. The Netherlands. E-mail: biotech@hetnet.nl ; Fax: ++31 596 566 508 ; Phone: ++ 31 596 566 321

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