Project Number: 6408-21410-006-07
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Jul 01, 2005
End Date: Jun 30, 2009

Objective:
To produce transgenic sorghum plants with altered levels of the allelochemical sorgoleone. Utilize the plant transformation resources of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to generate transgenic plants with altered gene expression levels of key genes in the sorgoleone biosynthetic pathway. The plants will be used to confirm the function of these genes and test the allelopathic potential of sorghum with altered sorgoleone levels.

Approach:
Various DNA constructs will be transformed to overexpress genes involved in sorgoleone biosynthesis using a strong, constitutively expressed gene promoter, and root-hair specific promoters. An agobacterium-mediated transformation protocol developed at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for sorghum will be used. The same genes will also be inhibited using the RNA interference technique with gene-specific constructs targeting the 3¿ end of sorgoleone biosynthetic genes. Basic physiological information about these genes will also be obtained using the endogenous promoters of these genes driving the expression of the GUS reporter gene in planta.