Transcript hanging the colour pigmentation in bluberries to increase berry crop yields

Proposal By: Vanessa Paz-Barreiras, Andrew Lam, Mahad Omar & Daniela Araujo
Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University
The Blueberry & Canada
Berry cultivation- the
growing industry in Canada


British Columbia houses
more than twenty-five
thousand acres worth of
berry crops
$153 million in cash
receipts from 2013-2014
http://www.agannex.com/production/bc-blueberryharvest-on-schedule-for-mid-july
BRITISH COLUMBIA AGRIFOOD INDUSTRY YEAR IN REVIEW. (2013, January
1). Ministry of Agriculture.
Spotted Wing Drosophila- the menace to
blueberry crops
•
•
•
SWD is an invasive
pest that feeds on
more than 20 different
types of berry plant
species
Female SWDs use a
serrated ovipositor to
pierce and deposit
their eggs into berry
flesh
Most active when fruits
begin to ripe and
change colours
Walsh, D et. al (2011). Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae): Invasive Pest of
Ripening Soft Fruit Expanding Its Geographic Range and Damage Potential.
Journal of Integrated Pest Management,Entomological Society of America, 1-8

Infestations are characterized by
softening in the area of feeding, fruit
collapse, and the formation of tiny holes

Rapid spread attributed to a short
incubation time of two weeks and female
flies can deposit up to a hundred eggs
per day.
Isaacs, R. (2011). First Detection and Response to the Arrival of Spotted Wing
Drosophila in Michigan. NEWSLETTER of the MICHIGAN ENTOMOLOGICAL
SOCIETY, 56, 10-12.
Pest Control Strategies

Insecticides are a common method of
management that targets female D.
suzukii
 Contributes to overall environmental
pollution, a loss of biodiversity and
contamination of city effluent

New Strategy: to incorporate the use of
Genomics to develop an alternative
method of pest control!
SWD’s attraction to ripening blueberries

SWD are attracted to ripened berries because of the
distinctive smell and colour changes associated with
ripening.

The Goal: breeding berry plants with altered physical
properties, namely changing the colour of their skin.

Knowing that the blue colour of blueberries is due to
the presence of anthocyanin, a gene will be
introduced and prevent blue colouration;
 the resulting white blueberries will resemble
their unripe forms.
Using Genomics to Improve the
Natural Resource Process

Gene Insertion and
the Agrobacterium
Transformation
System will be used

Electroporation will
then be used to
transport the modified
plasmids back into the
Agrobacteria cells

modified plasmids
containing the
pigment inhibiting
gene will be delivered
& incorporated into
the bacteria genome
 common genomic tool
in which the material
from one chromosome
is inserted into another
non-homologous
chromosome
Gelvin, S. (2003). Agrobacterium-Mediated Plant Transformation: The Biology behind
the “Gene-Jockeying” Tool. American Society for Microbiology, 67, 16-37.
Retrieved from http://mmbr.asm.org/content/67/1/16.long
Agrobacterium tumefaciens
Napoli, C., Lemieux, C., & Jorgensen, R. (1990). Introduction of a Chimeric Chalcone
Synthase Gene into Petunia Results in Reversible Co-Suppression of Homologous
Genes in trans. American Society of Plant Biologists, 2(4), 279-289. Retrieved
from http://www.plantcell.org/content/2/4/279.short
Impact to Canada- Goals of the
Experiment
To reduce the reliance of chemical
pesticides & increase crop yields
previously dampened by pests and
diseases
 Reducing the probability of pest
infestations by altering characteristic
blue peel in ripe blueberries, to
resemble their unripe stages

Lohachoompol, V., Srzednicki, G., & Craske, J. (2004). The Change of Total
Anthocyanins in Blueberries and Their Antioxidant Effect After Drying and
Freezing. BioMed Research International, 248-252. Retrieved from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1082901/http://m.plantcell.org
/content/2/4/279.short