Stress genes and the molecular basis of resistance

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Understanding how organisms become resistant to a variety of chemical and environmental insults may be central for scientific goals as diverse as predicting the outcome of cancer chemotherapy or planning the impact of global temperature fluctuations. For example, a study of the molecular genetics of resistance to methotrexate in fruit flies appears to hold promise as a model for understanding the developmental abnormalities seen in human and other mammalian embryos that result when mothers are prescribed this drug. Using the techniques of genetic engineering as well as "gene chips" (slides that contain the working DNA sequences found in a particular organism), we will be able to identify the genes that are affected by drug treatments. In another example, we know that winter conditions induce or enhance the expression of a number of stress proteins including those for desiccation, cold, osmotic stress and antifreeze proteins. We are interested in cold stress genes and proteins in those insects and plants for which we have some experience,including Canada's premier pest of the boreal forest (spruce budworm), a stored grain pest (Tenebrio mealworms), a turf grass and the fruit fly.  As well, we will apply novel selection techniques to identify those microorganisms that contain genes that encode molecules for cold adaptation. The experiments described in this proposal could help establish effective and environmentally responsible pest control, be useful for engineering resistance to beneficial species, or eventually even provide useful "green" inhibitors to industry. To basic  science,these studies of "cold and freeze resistance genes", which are crucial for survival against a variety of stresses, offer the promise of greater understanding of gene regulation, gene transfer and the molecular evolution of stress adaptation.