SBIR Phase I: Expression Pattern Screening for Agriculture Genomics

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目提出开发一种高通量多mRNA检测方法，用于筛选大量化合物，以发现影响植物组织基因表达模式的潜在化合物。 可以在96孔板的每个孔内一次全部测试一组感兴趣的基因和对照基因的表达。 研究人员可以评估96种不同的化合物如何影响每个平板中这些基因的表达模式。 这项技术将解决农业行业尚未满足的需求-有效利用新的基因组学信息。这将允许测试更多的基因靶标，包括新鉴定的基因，并将提供有关选择性和特异性的信息。专有方法允许DNA阵列技术用于高通量多mRNA测定。初步结果表明，这些方法使用哺乳动物细胞的可行性。 DNA阵列可以应用于每个孔内并保持杂交特异性。 该方法灵敏度足以检测在96孔板的一个孔内生长的细胞中以每个细胞一个mRNA分子表达的基因。 研究人员建议将该方法应用于培养的植物细胞，以形成一种可靠且灵敏的筛选技术，用于发现调节作物基因表达的新化合物。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project proposes to develop a high throughput multiple mRNA assay for screening large numbers of compounds to discover potential compounds that affect patterns of gene expression in plant tissue. The expression for a group of genes of interest and control genes can be tested all at once within each well of a 96-well plate. Investigators can evaluate how 96 different compounds affect the expression pattern for these genes in each plate. This technology will address an unmet need of the agricultural industry - to make efficient use of novel genomics information. This will allow testing of more gene targets including newly identified genes, and will provide information about selectivity and specificity.Proprietary methods allow DNA array technology to be used for the high throughput multiple mRNA assay. Preliminary results demonstrate the feasibility of these methods using mammalian cells. DNA arrays can be applied within each well and retain hybridization specificity. The method is sensitive enough to detect genes expressed at one mRNA molecule per cell from cells grown within one well of a 96-well plate. The researchers propose to apply the approach to cultured plant cells, in order to form a reliable and sensitive screening technology for discovering new compounds that modulate gene expression in crops.