Research Geneticist (Plants)

 

Current Research

Production of high-value recombinant protein in sugarcane. Currently, Hawaii has excess capacity for growing sugarcane which could be simultaneously available for bioenergy and biofactory applications. Utilizing Hawaii’s natural advantages and resources to produce high-value proteins provides a great economic opportunity for the state and to meet critical human health needs with minimum risk to human food supplies or the environment. Sugarcane has several significant advantages for transgene/product containment that may position this crop as a very “secure” platform for this purpose. We have demonstrated the feasibility of producing an active pharmaceutical protein in sugarcane. However, we also showed that higher levels of protein accumulation are need to be obtained before this strategy could be economical feasible. Currently, we are investigating the effect of viral suppressors of gene silencing on transgene and endogenous gene expression and small RNA accumulation in sugarcane plants.

Isolation and characterization of gene(s) related to organ size in coffee. As part of the research program at Hawaii Agriculture Research Center aiming at selecting and improving specialty coffee cultivars specifically adapted to various island growing conditions, we are working on identifying differentially expressed genes in two cultivars of coffee, ‘Tall Mokka’ and ‘Kona-Typica. ‘Tall Mokka’ produces high quality beans with superior flavor but low yield due to smaller bean size. Using potato cDNA microarrays from TIGR as the cross-species hybridization platform, we have identified one gene, encoding prolyl oligopeptidase (POP), with an approximately 4 fold higher expression in ‘Tall Mokka’. Efforts are underway to clone the full-length cDNA and genomic clones of the POP homolog from coffee.

Cloning organ-specific promoters from papaya. The goal of this project is to identify organ-specific genes using cDNA-AFLP (Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism) from papaya and then to isolate a set of promoters which can direct gene expression in the organ-specific manner. These promoters can be used for basic research and to manipulate traits having economic significance to the papaya industry. After verifying the expression patterns using qRT-PCR (quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction), 14 genes were selected and their promoters were cloned into expression constructs. The promoter specificity will be confirmed in transgenic Arabidopsis plants.

Publications

Koshiro, Y., Jackson, M. C., Katahira, R., Wang, M.-L, Nagai, C., Ashihara, H. Biosynthesis of Chlorogenic Acids in Growing and Ripening Fruits of Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora Plants. Zeitschrift für Naturforschung - A Journal of Biosciences 2007 62c, in press.

Zhou F., Wang, M.-L., Albert, H. H., Moore, P. H., Zhu, Y. J. Efficient transient expression of human GM-CSF protein in Nicotiana benthamiana using potato virus X vector. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2006, 72, 756-762.

Koshiro, Y., Zheng X., Wang, M.-L, Nagai, C., Ashihara, H. Changes in content and biosynthetic activity of caffeine and trigonelline during growth and ripening of Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora fruits. Plant Sci 2006, 171, 242-250.

Wang, M.-L., Goldstein, C., Su, W., Moore, P. H., Albert, H. H. Production of biologically active GM-CSF in sugarcane: a secure biofactory. Transgenic Res 2005, 14, (2), 167-78.

Wang, M.-L., Schenck, S., Albert, H. H. Antibody to a short peptide sequence detected sugarcane yellow leaf virus isolates from several sources. Sugar Cane International 2005, 23, 25-27.

Qiu, X., Guan, P., Wang, M.-L., Moore, P. H., Zhu, Y. J., Hu, J., Borth, W., Albert, H. H. Identification and Expression Analysis of BTH Induced Genes in Papaya. Physiological And Molecular Plant Pathology 2005, 65, 21-30.

Wei, H., Wang, M.-L., Moore, P. H., Albert, H. H. Comparative expression analysis of two sugarcane polyubiquitin promoters and flanking sequences in transgenic plants. J Plant Physiol 2003, 160, (10), 1241-51.

Sun, S. S.M., Wang, M.-L., Tu, H. M., Zuo, W., Xiong, L., Cheng, M. K. Transgenic approach to improve protein, starch, and taste of food plants. In “Food for Health in the Pacific Rim”, 3rd International Conference of Food Science and Technology 1997, ed:Whitaker JR, Haard NF, Shoemaker CF, & Singh RP, Food and Nutrition Press, Inc. Trumbull, Connecticut USA.

Lin, L., Wu, C., Yu, T., Wang, M.-L., Lee, M. Studies on the flavor compounds of new and old Shao-Hsing wine. Food Science (Taiwan) 1992, (91):75-85.

Yang, P. Y., Cai, T., Wang, M.-L. Immobilized mixed microbial cells for wastewater treatment. Biological Waste 1988, 23:295-312.