In yeast and mammalian cells, artificial chromosomes have been used to investigate the role of centromere DNA in chromosome inheritance. In human and mouse cell lines, these studies demonstrated a requirement for repetitive DNA; yet it remains difficult to predict which repeats will provide autonomous chromosome maintenance throughout the tissues of an organism. The immediate goal of this research is to develop a rapid, cost-effective and high throughput mini-chromosome system that tests centromere sequence function in cells, tissues and whole organisms. Plants are ideal for this effort-i) their centromere DNA is organized in arrays similar to those of mammals; ii) they can be transformed in large numbers; iii) they can be regenerated from individual somatic cells; iv) they produce gametes from multiple independent cell lineages, making it possible to analyze mitotic and meiotic chromosome transmission in sectors; and v) they are tolerant of aneuploidy, facilitating the introduction of additional chromosomes. The proposed research will characterize circular and linear mini-chromosome constructs in plant cells, monitoring their inheritance, capacity for gene expression, and structural integrity. The long-term, Phase III goals are to engineer these mini-chromosomes to use plants to produce products important for human health, such as vaccines, pharmaceuticals, or neutraceuticals. ? ?

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Type
Small Business Innovation Research Grants (SBIR) - Phase II (R44)
Project #
9R44GM069782-02
Application #
6646250
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-SSS-Y (10))
Program Officer
Wolfe, Paul B
Project Start
2002-04-01
Project End
2005-05-31
Budget Start
2003-06-01
Budget End
2004-05-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2003
Total Cost
$472,652
Indirect Cost
Name
Chromatin, Inc.
Department
Type
DUNS #
028910144
City
Chicago
State
IL
Country
United States
Zip Code
60612
Carlson, Shawn R; Rudgers, Gary W; Zieler, Helge et al. (2007) Meiotic transmission of an in vitro-assembled autonomous maize minichromosome. PLoS Genet 3:1965-74