Morning Ag Clips logo
  • Subscribe ❯
  • PORTAL ❯
  • LOGIN ❯
  • By Keyword
  • By topic
  • By state
  • Home
  • Events
  • Jobs
  • Store
  • Advertise
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Subscribe to our
    daily email
    ❯
  • Portal Registration❯
  • Login❯
  • policy
  • tractors & machinery
  • education
  • conservation
  • webinars
  • business
  • dairy
  • cattle
  • poultry
  • swine
  • corn
  • soybeans
  • organic
  • specialty crops
  • Alabama
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • Nevada
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming

Morning Ag Clips

  • By Keyword
  • By topic
  • By state
  • policy
  • tractors & machinery
  • education
  • conservation
  • webinars
  • business
  • dairy
  • cattle
  • poultry
  • swine
  • corn
  • soybeans
  • organic
  • specialty crops
  • Home
  • Events
  • Jobs
  • Store
  • Advertise
Home » Discovery may lead to new antibiotics
education research
NEW RESEARCH ...

Discovery may lead to new antibiotics

A new protein will likely advance the search for new natural antibiotics

PUBLISHED ON February 13, 2017

The team discovered the LoaP protein in Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, a bacteria known to ward off pathogens that attack plant roots in agriculture, aquaculture and hydroponic production. (Aqua Mechanical, Flickr/Creative Commons)

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Scientists have discovered a new protein that likely will advance the search for new natural antibiotics, according to a study by Texas A&M AgriLife Research published Feb. 13 in the journal Nature Microbiology.

The discovery has to do with how proteins regulate gene expression. Scientists know a great deal about proteins that control how certain gene clusters get their start — referred to as transcription initiation — but much less is known about transcription elongation where proteins keep gene expression going through “roadblocks” in the DNA sequence, according to Dr. Paul Straight, AgriLife Research biochemist in College Station and the paper’s co-author.

“The upshot is that our discovery expands the basic knowledge of processive antitermination — a type of genetic regulation — and demonstrates that the mechanism is more widespread among bacteria than previously thought,” Straight said. “Antibiotic production by bacteria involves complex chemistry that is often encoded in a collection or ‘cluster’ of many genes. To express these giant gene clusters requires special regulation mechanisms. Understanding these mechanisms could help a great deal in the search for new antibiotics produced by bacteria.”

For this study, Straight and his graduate assistant Chengxi Zhang of College Station, teamed up with University of Maryland researchers Jonathan R. Goodson, Steven Klupt and Dr. Wade Winkler.

The team describes two discoveries in the paper. One is the protein they named LoaP, which stands for long operon associated protein. The other discovery is that the protein is frequently found next to the gene clusters that are responsible for producing antibiotics. Hence, knowing how LoaP works and its prime location could lead scientists to a shortcut for antibiotic production.

Straight explained that bacteria frequently string together many genes, which are expressed as a group when the cell needs the proteins the genes encode.

“These long chains of genes raise challenges for the molecular machines that decode DNA. Sometimes the molecular machines hit roadblocks, called terminators, and they stop and fall off the DNA. The LoaP protein is called a processive antiterminator, because it helps the machines stay on DNA and move through the roadblock terminators.”

The team discovered the LoaP protein in Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, a bacteria known to ward off pathogens that attack plant roots in agriculture, aquaculture and hydroponic production.

The researchers said the Earth has an abundant and diverse supply of microbes such as bacteria and many of them have useful biomedical purposes. While researchers realize the potential benefits — and indeed have been studying them for more than 100 years — a modern limitation to antibiotic discovery is the murky understanding of the genetic regulatory mechanisms that oversee their production.

“After nearly a century of searching for bioactive natural products, bacteria still constitute a major target of modern drug discovery,” Straight said. “The characterization of the biochemical pathways of these molecules remains a bottleneck to their development. One of the key restrictions is a shortage of knowledge on the range of genetic mechanisms that can affect them. Therefore, the discovery of new classes of genetic regulatory mechanisms is likely to impact future development of natural products that counter disease.”

—Texas A&M AgriLife Communications
via EurekAlert!

For more articles concerning research, click here.

RECOMMENDED ARTICLES

OSU scientist discovers a wheat gene that increases grain yield
May 15, 2022

STILLWATER, Okla. — Building the genetic make up for the ideal wheat crop is no easy task. Just ask Liuling Yan, the Dillon and Lois Hodges professor of wheat molecular genetics and breeding in the Oklahoma State University Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, who recently discovered the TaCol-B5 gene in wheat plants. What makes this gene so special? It […]

Insights from algae genes unlock mysteries of plant growth and health
May 11, 2022

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Genes contain all the instructions an organism needs to live, grow, and reproduce. But identifying a gene and learning what it does are two different things. Scientists don’t know what kinds of instructions many genes contain— their functions are unknown. A new study led by UC Riverside, Princeton University, and Stanford University has […]

Gene important in soybean protein content found after 30-year search
February 14, 2022

URBANA, Ill. — Soybeans outmatch all other legumes as the protein powerhouses of the plant kingdom, providing a key protein source for humans and livestock around the world. And now, after 30 years, University of Illinois scientists have identified the gene with the largest impact on seed protein in soybean. “Soybeans are around 40% protein, […]

Discovery of flowering gene in cacao may lead to accelerated breeding strategies
May 17, 2021

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — For the first time, Penn State researchers have identified a gene that controls flowering in cacao, a discovery that may help accelerate breeding efforts aimed at improving the disease-ridden plant, they suggested. Characterizing the Flowering Locus T gene in cacao, responsible for the production of florigen — a protein that triggers […]

Spread the word

Browse More Clips

New year, new goals for backyard farms

What kind of cherry did Washington fell?

Primary Sidebar

MORE

NATIONAL CLIPS

The Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act
February 2, 2023
2022 Heritage Breed Microgrants awarded
February 2, 2023
Funding to improve seniors' access to locally grown foods
February 2, 2023
dairy milk milking robotic milker
U.S. dairy praises USTR move to hold Canada responsible for USMCA violations
February 2, 2023
As prices ease, 1.45 billion chicken wings on the menu for Super Bowl LVII
February 2, 2023
  • Trending
  • Latest

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE...

Cattle producers, farmers and farm businesses in south central Iowa will learn about the latest crop production and grazing research and trends during the fall field day at Iowa State University’s McNay Memorial Research and Demonstration Farm Aug. 6. (Courtesy of ISU Extension and Outreach)
Iowa cattle inventory report
February 3, 2023
Iowa Pork Regional Conferences
Iowa Pork Regional Conferences Feb. 20-23
February 3, 2023
Wisconsin Beef Leadership Institute
Apply now for Beef Leadership Institute
February 3, 2023
Wisconsin cattle inventory report
February 3, 2023
Cattle on Feed
Minnesota cattle inventory report
February 3, 2023

Footer

MORNING AG CLIPS

  • Contact Us
  • Sponsors
  • About Us
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service

CONNECT WITH US

  • Like Us on Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

TRACK YOUR TRADE

  • Markets & Economy
  • Cattle Updates
  • Dairy News
  • Policy & Politics
  • Corn Alerts

QUICK LINKS

  • Account
  • Portal Membership
  • Just Me, Kate
  • Farmhouse Communication

Get the MAC App Today!

Get it on Google Play
Download on the App Store

© 2023 Morning Ag Clips, LLC. All Rights Reserved.