Dwarfism Gene Isolated from Higher Plants

Scientists at the John Innes Centre (Norwich, UK) have tracked down the gene that causes dwarfism in plants. While it has been known for almost 20 years that dwarfism in wheat is caused by insensitivity to the plant hormone gibberellin, scientists have now succeeded in isolating the specific gene involved from Arabidopsis thaliana. The work is reported in July 15 issue of Nature.

Nicholas P. Harberd and colleagues show that the trait resides in a gene known as gibberellin-insensitive (GAI) in Arabidopsis. The researchers also provided details on the precise function of the gene.

To prove that GAI is responsible for dwarfing, the researchers produced dwarf bismati rice plants by introducing a mutant of GAI into rice, indicating that mutant versions of GAI might improve yield in a wide range of crop species.

Dwarf varieties of wheat created by conventional breeding led to the "green revolution" of the 1960s and 1970s. The shorter plants produce more grain and fewer stalks, which increases yields substantially. The dwarf varieties are also better at resisting rain and wind damage.

If the gene does work as expected, genetic engineering techniques could quickly create new, high-yielding dwarf varieties. The research was funded by UK taxpayers through the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

"This new work potentially offers a single gene that can be put into a range of different plants and make them dwarf," says Ray Mathias, head of science communication at the center.

The gene has been patented, and Mathias says: "If there are commercial companies who are interested in exploiting the gene, then we would look at licensing the technology to them and making sure the taxpayer got a return on their investment in the basic science."

For more information: Nicholas P. Harberd, Norwich Research Park Administrator, NRP Development Partnership, P.O. Box 715, Norwich, UK. Tel: +44 1603-452571. Fax: +44 1603-505725. Email: harberd@bbsrc.ac.uk.