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Re: [SANET-MG] synthetic genes and peptides



Hi Lawrence London,
Thanks for the edifying reply. There is good reason to believe that heirloom seeds should be finger printed using MAS. That information should provide some background for evaluating problems associated with genetic pollution of the stocks. I believe that techniques such as SNPs could provide valuable genetic fingerprints that would provide a true record of rare heirloom and wild varieties at a reasonable cost.Restoring lost varieties poses an interesting problem that could be a least approximated. The question of Monsanto banking the gene fingerprints seems to me like inviting Count Dracula to manage a blood bank? I fear that Monsanto would patent everything in the bank then have it designated CBI! Universities and Foundations should best handle the variety finger prints. But that is open to debate.
sincerely, joe cummins
Lawrence F. London, Jr. wrote:
jcummins wrote:

Hi Lawrence London,
RA Fisher was one of the founding fathers of population genetics and as well he was a founder of modern statistical analysis. Fisher views on QTL was that there were many individual genes adding tiny amounts to make a trait such as size. Each gene contributes a minute amount but together they make traits such as size of oil content in maize. MAS works best for traits such as disease resistance or say fruit ripening where a few genes each contribute a sizable amount. For the traits with minute contributions from each of many genes MAS does not appear to be cost effective. Setting up a MAS laboratory is not entirely out of site but it is best to set up such labs in universities or large private organizations. However, once the linkages are established a plant breeder who follows the MAS results may be able to assign linkages that are very productive.
Hoe this helps, sincerely,joe Cummins


That helped a lot, Joe. Many thanks. I was getting further into the gloom reading this discussion not knowing what QTL and MAS was. So I assume someone needing to be into plant breeding in an unconventional way would need both a QTL & MAS lab to do work effectively and efficiently.

I am wondering whether this advanced technology would help plant breeders/seed growers-suppliers/heirloom and/or organic seed suppliers stabilize established and valuable plant varieties - Silver Queen corn and German Johnston tomatoes, for example. Could their genes be mapped so that in the event of blight, drought or other loss of crop or seed, these varieties could be reproduced artifically in a lab in order to restart the strain for production.

Maybe Monsanto would be willing to offer some pro bono work of this sort for organic and heirloom seed suppliers - and keep the vareties open source.

Many thanks,

Lawrence

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