Matrix Attachment Regions
Maize Transformation
Gene Targeting
DNA ReplicationPublictions

Lab Publications

People

P

Botany Department
Crop Sciences
Genetics Department
Biochemistry

Project Abstract:

This is a long-term, ongoing project involving three collaborating laboratories at NCSU and funded from a variety of sources including federal grants and industrial contributions. Matrix Attachment Regions (MARs) are DNA sequences capable of specific binding to nuclear proteins that are part of a fibrillar nuclear matrix analogous to the cytoskeleton. Most of our current work is an attempt to understand and extend our original observation that MARs in transgene constructs can greatly stimulate transgene expression under certain conditions in which gene silencing would otherwise prevent expression. As an extension of this work, we are also interested in gene silencing mechanisms and in other DNA elements, such as insulators, that interact with proteins to alter chromatin structure and/or gene expression. An overview of our earlier work is presented by Allen et al., Plant Molecular Biology 43: 361-376 (2000). We are currently assessing the relative importance of MAR effects on transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene silencing, as well as the ability of MARs to reduce the gene silencing that sometimes occurs in advanced generations of transgenic breeding programs. We are also collaborating to apply this technology in several breeding efforts.

Participants:

This project is a collaboration involving two additional laboratories at NCSU Dr. Arthur Weissinger in Crop Science and Dr. Steve Spiker in Genetics

Last updated September 20, 2004 by Christine Brownfield