Lecture: Crop Biotechnology–Trait Modification, Gene Containment, Gene Discovery and Genomic Tool Development in Perennial Grasses 

Lecturer: Dr. Hong Luo, Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, Clemson University, USA 

Time: 9:00 am, Dec 1, 2015 

Location: Meeting Room 205 of Administration Building 

Introduction of Lecturer: 

WORK ADDRESS        Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, Clemson University, 110 Biosystem Research Complex, Clemson, SC 29634, USA 

Tel: (864) 656-1746; Fax: (864) 656-0393; e-mail: hluo@clemson.edu 

EDUCATION 

Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium  Molecular Biology              Ph.D.     1995 

Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium  Molecular Biology              M.S.       1990 

Sichuan Agricultural University, Chna     Plant Genetics & Breeding  M.S.       1986 

Sichuan Agricultural University, China    Agronomy                          B. S.       1983 

APPOINTMENTS 

01/2006 - Present          Associate Professor, Clemson University, Clemson, SC. 

10/1998 - 12/2005         Senior Project Leader and Director of Research, HybriGene, Inc., West Kingston, RI, and Adjunct Professor, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA. 

07/1997 - 10/1998         Postdoctoral fellow, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA. 

10/1996 - 07/1997         Postdoctoral fellow, National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS) of France, University of Lille 1, Lille, France. 

03/1995 - 10/1996         Postdoctoral fellow, Catholic University of Louvain, LLN, Belgium. 

07/1986 - 11/1988         Lecturer, Sichuan Agricultural University, Yaan, Sichuan, China. 

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS 

Member of American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). 

Member of American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB). 

Selected publications: 

1.       Yuan, S., Li, Z., Li, D., Hu, Q., Luo, H.(2015) Constitutive expression of Osa-miR528 alters plant development and enhances plant tolerance to salinity stress and nitrogen starvation in transgenic creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.). Plant Physiology 169:576-593. 

2.       Yuan, N., Cogill, S., Luo, H. (2015) Development of molecular strategies for gene containment and marker-free genetically modified organisms. In: Genetically Modified Organisms in Food. Watson, R., Stevens, B. (eds), Elservier B.V., pp223-236. 

3.       Yuan, S., Luo, H. (2015) Negative regulators of messenger RNA and the role of microRNA for plant genetic engineering. In: Genetically Modified Organisms in Food. Watson, R., Stevens, B. (eds), Elservier B.V., pp237-255. 

4.       San B., Li Z., Hu Q., Reighard G., Luo H. (2015) Adventitious shoot regeneration from in vitro cultured leaf explants of peach is significantly enhanced by silver thiosulfate. Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture 120:757-765. 

5.       Zhou, M., Luo, H. (2014) Role of microRNA319 in creeping bentgrass salinity and drought stress respons. Plant signaling & Behavior 9:e28700. 

6.       Saski, C., Luo, H. (2014) Switchgrass genomic resources development and genome sequencing initiatives. In: Compendium of Bioenergy Plants – Switchgrass. Luo, H., and Wu, Y. (eds), CRC Press, Tailor & Francis Group, pp214-227. 

7.       Li, D., Zhou, M., Li, Z., Luo, H. (2014) MicroRNAs and their potential applications in switchgrass improvements. In: Compendium of Bioenergy Plants – Switchgrass. Luo, H., and Wu, Y. (eds), CRC Press, Tailor & Francis Group, pp228-252. 

8.       Zhou, M., Li, D., Li, Z., Hu, Q., Yang, C., Zhu, L., Luo, H. (2013) Constitutive expression of a miR319 gene alters plant development and enhances salt and drought tolerance in transgenic creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.). Plant Physiology 16:1375-1391. 

9.       Zhou, M., Luo, H. (2013) MicroRNA-mediated gene regulation: potential applications for plant genetic engineering. Plant Molecular Biology 83:59-75. 

10.    Li, Z., Hu, Q., Zhou, M., Vandenbrink, J., Li, D., Menchyk, N., Reighard, S.R., Norris, A., Liu, H., Sun, D., Luo, H. (2013) Heterologous expression of OsSIZ1, a rice SUMO E3 ligase enhances broad abiotic stress tolerance in transgenic creeping bentgrass. Plant Biotechnology Journal 11:432-445. 

11.    Li, Z., Zhou, M., Hu, Q., Reighard, S., Yuan, S., Yuan, N., San, B., Li, D., Jia, H. and Luo, H. (2012) Manipulating expression of tonoplast transporters. In: Plant Salt Tolerance: Methods and Protocols, Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 913, DOI 10. 1007/978-1-61779-986-0_24, Shabala, S. Cuin, TA. (eds), Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, pp359-369. 

12.    Zhou M, Hu Q, Li Z, Chen C-F, Luo H (2011) Expression of a novel antimicrobial peptide penaeidin4-1 in creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) enhances plant fungal disease resistance. PLoS ONE 6(9):e24677. 

13.    Saski CA, Li Z, Feltus FA, Luo H (2011) New genomic resources for switchgrass: a BAC library and comparative analysis of homoeologous genomic regions harboring bioenergy traits. BMC Genomics 12:369. 

14.    Fang G-C, Blackmon BP, Henry DC, Staton ME, Saski CA, Hodges SA, Tomkins JP, Luo H (2010) Genomic tools development for Aquilegia: Construction of a BAC-based physical map. BMC Genomics 11:621. 

15.    Li Z, Baldwin CM, Hu Q, Liu H, Luo H (2010) Heterologous expression of Arabidopsis H+-PPase enhances salt tolerance in transgenic creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.). Plant, Cell and Environment 33:272-289. 

16.    Ke PC, Lin S, Reppert J, Rao A, Luo H (2010) Uptake of nanoparticles by mammalian cells and plants, In: Handbook of Nanophysics - Nanomedicine and Nanorobotics, Sattler KD (ed), Taylor&Francis Group (CRC Press) Boca Raton, FL, pp30:1-15. 

Selected patents: 

1.     Luo H, Hu Q, Nelson K, Longo C, Kausch AP, Zilinskas B, Lakkaraju S (2009) Prevention of transgene escape in genetically modified perennials. Patent No. US7,525,015 issued on April 28, 2009. 

2.     Luo H, Kausch AP, Chandlee JM, Oliver MJ (2005) Development of controlled total vegetative growth for prevention of transgene escape from genetically modified plants and for enhancing biomass production. USPTO application #20050235379. 

3.     Luo H (2007) Methods and compositions for an integrated dual site-specific recombination system for producing environmentally safe and clean transgenic plants. USPTO application #60/950,049. 

4.     Luo H, Zhou M, Hu Q (2009) Methods and compositions for transgenic plants producing antimicrobial peptides for enhanced disease resistance. USPTO application #61/247,103. 

5.     Luo H, Li Z, Hu Q (2010) Methods and compositions for transgenic plants with enhanced abiotic stress resistance and biomass production. USPTO application #61/302,345. 

Lecture Abstract: 

Drought and salinity are already widespread in many regions, and are expected to cause serious salinization of more than 50% of all arable lands by the year 2050. They are therefore among the most important targets for improvement in plants. Using forward and reverse genetics approaches, we have been conducting research to identify and functionally characterize genes involved in various aspects of plant response to adverse environmental conditions. This allows the development of novel molecular strategies for use in genetically improving crop species for enhanced agricultural production. Perennial grasses are essential components of agriculture and environment, among which turfgrass, forages and biofuel plants play increasingly important roles in modern agriculture practice, significantly impacting agriculture structure, agriculture production, agriculture economy, environment, ecology and global climate. Genetic improvement of perennials using biotechnology approaches is important to the turfgrass industry, biofuel production and the environment. With the development of various gene containment strategies, it is expected that a combination of approaches stacking different containment measures could provide effective way to prevent transgene escape from transgenic perennials. However, it remains to see what the direct or indirect effects of the transgenes on host biochemistry, physiology, and consequently the potential impacts on non-target organisms and environmental and ecological systems would be? To address these questions, we are conducting research to genetically engineer creeping bentgrass for enhanced abiotic stress resistance using different mechanisms, Greenhouse and field trial evaluation of transgenic plants will allow to assess how transgenic perennials interact with other plant species, such as weeds and forages, how transgene expression impact weediness and invasiveness of genetically engineered perennials compared to unmodified parent organisms as well as what the effects of transgenic perennials on non-target soil chemistry would be.