Nanoparticles provide the plant with genetic material normally through its roots

Researchers at the University of Queensland have first introduced genetic material into plants via roots, opening up potential pathways for rapid crop improvement. This study is published in Nature Plants.

Professor Bernard Carroll of UQ’s Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences said nanoparticle technology can help fine-tune plant genes to increase crop yields and improve food quality.

“Traditional plants’ reproduction and genetic modifications require many generations and produce new crop types. This is time-consuming and expensive,” Professor Carroll said.

“We have managed to absorb benign nanoparticles developed by Professor Gordon Xu of UQ for animal vaccines and cancer treatments.

“The walls of plant cells are hard, woody and much more robust than human and animal cells, so we coated the nanoparticles with proteins that loosen the walls of plant cells.

“Protein coating helped nanoparticles break through the cell wall and feed the plants for the first time.”

mRNA is a natural messenger molecule that contains genetic instructions to construct and strengthen life in any form.

The researchers use nanoparticles to supply synthetic mRNAs that produce green fluorescent proteins, and have been widely used in genetic studies on multiple plant species, including Arabidopsis and Arabidopsis, a miniature member of the cabbage family. Ta.

“It was surprising that, rather than supplying all the loads to the first cells that came in, the nanoparticles were distributing mRNA through the plant along with water, and the distribution of mRNA.” Professor Carroll said.

“This is exciting because further improvements will allow the technology to be used in the future to produce new crop varieties more quickly.

“More research has allowed us to target crop issues such as taste and quality, and have new varieties without the need for 10 years of cross-breeding or genetic modification.

“Like the way mRNA vaccines stimulate the immune system and produce proteins that degrade the immune system, mRNA delivered to plants is temporarily expressed and then disappears.”

Nanoparticle Technology has been patented by UQ’s commercialization company Uniquest and is currently seeking partners to further develop the technology. The research team included Professor Zhi Pin (Gordon) Xu (Gordon) Xu and Dr. Jiaxi Yong, agriculture and food innovation at UQ’s Australian Bioengineering and Nanotechnology Institute and Queensland Alliance.