Glowing plant history (via Antony Evans & kickstarter)
A team composed of University of Cambridge and Stanford graduates is embarking on an ambitious project to replace light bulbs with genetically modified bioluminescent plants. The Glowing Plants project has successfully funded this project via Kickstarter but not before raising concerns by some critics of the pioneering project.
The Glowing Plants team includes Kyle Taylor, Plant Guru/PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from Stanford, Omri Amirav-Drory, CEO and Founder of the Genome Compiler Software and Antony Evans who handles the business side of things.
The main goals, as described by Evans, are to raise public interest in synthetic biology, and set us on a path towards sustainable solutions. The action plan is to introduce bioluminescent genes from fireflies and glowing marine bacteria into the DNA of a thale cress plant and thus creating the world’s first naturally glowing plant.
This process requires the creation of a sequence totaling 10,000 base pairs of amino acids. The process of printing these costs $0.25 per pair so the team will be using Kickstarter funds to see this stage of the project come to light... With over $484,000 of contributions, and items sold from their online store, which will include open-source DNA they create, the team will also build a lab in San Francisco where they will attempt this same genetic manipulation to create glowing roses, among other products.
The team uses Drory’s Genome Compiler software to create the plan necessary to create the DNA that allows for bioluminescence. A laser genome printer at the Cambrian Genetics will create the DNA sequence. This DNA will be implanted into the thale cress, also known as Arabidopsis, using an agrobacterium method, which inserts glowing DNA into bacteria first. An Arabidopsis flower is then dipped into a solution of these bacteria and the bacteria itself introduces the glowing DNA into the seeds produced by the flower. These seeds are propagated into plants that have the innate ability to glow.
Among the many rewards for contributors were various vases made out of recycled materials to house the glowing plants. A coffee table book detailing the procedure to make your own bioluminescent plants as available and a full kit to perform the process is also being offered. While the team’s efforts for making bioengineering accessible and open-source, many worry that the Glowing Plants could have many unforeseen consequences if released into the wild.
Over 6,000 Kickstarter contributors will be receiving seeds to grow their own glowing cress. There is dispute as to whether or not genetically modified plants have ever been released into the wild. However, Allison Snow, a professor who studies micro evolutionary processes at Ohio State University, says that if the plants are grown in the wild, their genes will undoubtedly mix with other plants. Other consequences exist in the plants becoming invasive and/or changing the behavior of animals and insects that are exposed to them.
Building a plant (via Antony Evans & kickstarter)
Others like Canadian group ETC say this type of wide spread release of synthetic biology have never been done before and so hold potential for many consequences. Although genetically modified crops and bio-fuel bacteria may have been released into the wild, their seeds or bacterium were not mailed to people across the world.
Still, regulation of GMOs is largely inexistent. The team will be experimenting with different gene combinations to obtain the sequence that works best. For this, they will use the agrobacterium process described above. This process does require regulation because this agrobacterium is known to pose a pest problem to crops. However, after testing, the team will use a “gene gun” to fire metallic particles directly into the thale cress to produce glowing plant seeds. The distribution of these seeds, no matter what method is used, still remains unregulated so the team should have no problem rewarding their contributors. It is likely that projects like Glowing Plants will spark debate between legislators.
To prevent proliferation and potential spread through temperate regions, the glowing cress will likely be engineered to require its own nutrient supplement to grow. But plants are extremely resourceful organisms, in tune with their environment and show strong signs of manipulating other organisms in their immediate environment to promote their own continuation and evolution. Plants accomplish incredible feats; we just don’t give them enough credit.
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