College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State University

New approach

New plant, new research focus of GDCB's Diane Bassham's latest project.

Arabidopsis has been Diane Bassham's plant of choice during her post-doctoral studies and since she joined the faculty in the Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology in 2001.

Bassham's research during this time has also been fundamental research, including a USDA study on how plants respond to nutrient stresses.

This fall however, Bassham is starting a new research project that will require her not only to switch her plant choice from Arabidopsis but to concentrate on an applied research approach.

Bassham will investigate ways to store therapeutic proteins made in the seeds of soybean plants engineered to produce biopharmaceuticals. The project is part of an overall initiative on campus to produce high-value proteins for pharmaceutical use in Iowa crops.

"It's exciting to work on a project that's economically important," Bassham said. "I've always done fundamental research. Now I hope to be able to apply what we learn into a potentially useful situation.

"This research will not be a big conceptual leap for us."

The project has been funded by the Plant Sciences Institute (PSI) through a competitive program intended to stimulate excellence in plant science research. Bassham will receive a two-year grant from PSI at $30,000 a year.

Seven different projects were selected for the PSI grants based on their scientific merit, potential impact, innovation and probability to lead to future funding or to produce clearly defined products or services that will enhance the value of Iowa's crops.

"The two years should be long enough to test whether the system works and if our hypothesis is feasible," Bassham said. "If it works out, then we anticipate looking for additional external funding."

Bassham says although she has no experience growing soybean plants, her lab will work with other labs on campus. She's also not worried about moving on to a plant other than Arabidopsis.

"The species switch is not that big of a deal," she said. "The biggest technical difference is the genetic engineering of the soybean. But we are working with other groups on campus that have that technical expertise and we will do the actual analysis."

In the end, Bassham hopes to be able to make a useful protein in the soybean. Soybeans are the commercial crop that provides the most protein.

"We're looking to see if we can make foreign proteins in a plant without the plant breaking it down," she said. "In effect, we're looking to ‘convince' the soybean's cells to make very large amounts of protein.

"We want to test the system and see if this is possible."

Bassham will use a green fluorescent protein in the initial tests because it is easier to see. If these tests prove successful, she says soybeans can be genetically engineered with whatever protein someone wishes to make in the plant.

And Bassham hopes to make those discoveries herself.

"Instead of saying ‘someone in the future will use this,' now I can be involved with it myself," she said.