Drought Research Uses Gene Splicing

Scientists splice fish genes into some frost-sensitive fruit so cold snaps don’t devastate crops. They’ve genetically modified some soy and potato plants so they shun agricultural pests and pathogens.

So why not take the drought-resistant genetic properties of the desert-thriving creosote bush and apply them to lawns and landscaping to stop them from being water guzzlers?

That’s exactly what UNLV biology professor Jeffrey Shen and his research team are trying to do. Their immediate goal is to take genes they’ve already isolated from the creosote bush and stick them into turf. It would be genetically modified grass that could be planted in back yards, golf courses and college campuses throughout Southern Nevada and beyond.

“Water shortage is a problem not only in Nevada,” Shen said. “It’s a worldwide problem. It’s time for us to think of strategies to limit the use of water.”

Shen’s creosote-influenced, drought-resistant grass would have to prove not to be an allergen to humans or harmful to the environment before it could be approved by government regulatory agencies for widespread use. Before those faraway steps, Shen has to splice the two creosote genes thought to be responsible for resistance to drought and climate change into a common test plant, Arabidopsis.

“If the idea turns out to be true, then the Arabidopsis should be able to tolerate drought,” Shen said. In the coming months, those experiments will be performed.

If Arabidopsis, a plant native to Europe and grown in U.S. plant biology labs, becomes drought tolerant after creosote genes are introduced, then Shen will try the trick on turf. The foreign genetic material is dropped into the plant’s flowers and, as the theory goes, the plant’s seeds become genetically modified. Those altered seeds then would produce drought-resistant seedlings, if Shen has picked the right creosote genes.

Just finding the pair of desirable creosote genes in a pool of more than 50,000 was a huge, computer-assisted accomplishment. It could take years for Shen, 39, to reach his final goal.

“It's fair for people to worry,” Shen said regarding debates over genetically modified foods. “It’s good so we make sure we're doing things right. It’s important to have mechanisms there to make sure the transgenic has no bad effects on the environment or on humans.”

Shen said he’s confident people will grow to view genetically modified foods and lawns as more helpful than harmful. “It’s a great thing for our society,” he said.

Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal