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Amaizing starch
Two professors in the Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and
Molecular Bioloyg are attempting to increase the value of corn by looking
at starch
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Alan Myers, professor
and chair of the Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular
Biology, has been doing some "amaizing" research on corn ever
since he arrived on the Iowa State campus 15 years ago.
Now Myers and
Martha James, associate scientist, are trying to find a way to boost the
value of corn by studying starch.
"We're using
molecular genetics as a starting point to identify and characterize the
activities that produce starch in corn kernels," Myers said. "Despite
the extremely wide usage and applicability of corn starch, the specific
mechanisms that lead to its production are not known."
Approximately 15
percent of corn production is used to extract starch from the corn to
create industrial products such as ethanol and shirt starch.
Myers and James have
identified and cloned two maize genes needed for starch synthesis, including
one for a particular starch debranching enzyme.
"We were fortunate
to make the initial discovery of two of the 12 genes that no one had ever
seen before," Myers said.
The team's first
publication on this research came in 1995, but James says that the basic
knowledge of the genes have been known for over 100 years.
"But no one
knew what protein the genes coded for," she said.
"Now we're
trying to reconstitute the entire genetic system to determine the entire
architectural structure," Myers said.
Their current research
is aimed at discovering what role the enzymes made from these genes play
in the process of starch production.
"In addition,
molecular cloning of additional corn genes required for normal starch
synthesis is underway, which will reveal more enzymatic activities required
for this process," Myers said. "Our long term aim is to utilize
the clone genes to construct transgenic plants in which altered starch
forms are produced, which may be desirable for specific utilizations of
corn starch."
"This is extremely
complex," James said. "As soon as you change aspect of the genes,
many other aspects change simultaneously. It's hard to isolate the cause
and effect."
Discovering the fundamental
mechanisms of starch biosynthesis could allow producers to increase the
value of their crops and the utility of corn for consumers.
"We want to
provide a base of information that can be used in a broader effort to
exploit plants as agricultural production factories, to the economic benefit
of the state of Iowa," Myers said. "We also hope that this broad
effort will lead, in the long run, to environmental benefits and reduced
costs of consumer products.
"We're looking
to obtain not only better value for corn, but new uses. We're generating
a knowledge base that agri-business can draw upon for their products."
The National Science
Foundation recently provided the research team with a $330,000 grant to
continue their research for three years. The Department of Energy and
the USDA are also funding their work.
The corn starch research
has been become an active research area not only for Myers and James,
but also around the world. Meyers says that other researchers are concentrating
on obtaining starch from other cash crops including rice in Japan, potatoes
in Germany and wheat in Canada and Australia.
"What we discover
in corn can be applied in other species and vice versa," James said.
Around LAS
April 1-12, 2002
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