Moss - super food for hunger

This is one of the simplest plants on the planet that we can help scientists create crops to cope with harsh droughts.

The Physcomitrella moss still retains its primitive appearance, bearing similarities to the first plants that appeared on land about 450 million years ago. With only a very thick cell, without complicated roots or leaves, these plants must adapt to hot, cold and severe droughts. Mosses can survive after a period of severe dehydration and regenerate when watered. This may be a widely deployed application for crop protection in the drought-prone areas throughout the world.

Scientists from Leeds University and their German, Japanese and American colleagues sequenced the Physcomitrella moss genome - the first non-flowering or ' low-grade ' species. The results are published in the latest issue of the Science journal.

Physcomitrella spores.This is a diploid phase which is very rare throughout the life cycle of moss.(Artwork: University of Leeds).

In the hands of the moss genome order, scientists can find genes that control its 'survival tricks' and then apply them to crops.

Research on Physcomitrella started at Leeds University 20 years ago by Professor David Cove. Dr. Andy Cuming has continued this research from Professor Cove and is supported by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (roughly translated as the Council for Research in Biological Sciences and Biotechnology). He is also a member of the international team of genetic researchers.

Dr Cuming explained: ' Research on Physcomitrella moss is really helpful. It is both a link between algae living in water and terrestrial plants, it has both important characteristics that make it special. By sequencing the genome, we can find the genetic base and apply the knowledge gained to improve crops '.

Physcomitrella moss has a ' haploid ' genome - not a diploid genome from parents - so it is easier to determine which traits are attached to which gene. It can also incorporate new DNA into a specific location in the genome - while most plants randomly mix new DNA. This means that the moss genome modification is easier to control than other plants, which in turn can make them more of a 'green factory' producing pharmaceuticals.

'If we discover the mechanism by which Physcomitrella moss combines DNA into a fixed position, we can move that trait to other plants, allowing for more easily controlled changes in the genome. ' Dr Cuming said. 'However, we also believe that there are many genes in Physcomitrella species that may exist in high-level plants, but no longer work the same. So instead of adding new DNA, we will activate what is available to create the qualities we want. '

Genetic sequencing was performed at the Joint Genome Institute, Berkeley, California. Scientists from all over the world are invited to come here every year to 'emulate' their abilities for specific genes. Moss Physcometrilla patens won in 2005. University of Leeds, University of Freiburg - Germany, National Institute of Basic Biology - Japan, Washington University in St Louis, Missouri and University of California at Berkely coordinated to implement this study.

According to Dr. Cuming, 'until now only a handful of flowering plant genes have been sequenced compared to some large animal genes of many species. But information from a diverse genome is really important in scientific research. In order to understand the human genome, scientists must learn the genes of many species such as fruit flies, nematodes and mice. We also need such a scale in plant science - and Physcomitrella moss is an ideal species to add to this list. '