February 21, 2003

NIGHT OF THE TRIFFIDS

Three plant scientists, Ms. Aubry Brzozowski, Dr. Ji-Ping Zhao, and Dr. Tau-San Chou of Ball Helix gave a lecture / presentation of some of their work in the ornamental horticulture industry utilizing visible light and fluorescence microscopies.

Bio Sketch
Aubry Brzozowski obtained a B.S. degree at Miami University of Ohio in Botany and went on to obtain a M.S. degree at Ohio State University in Horticulture and Crop Science. While at Ohio State she worked on evaluating the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) in soybean transformation using particle bombardment. She has been at Ball Helix in West Chicago, Illinois for the past three years and works on gene transformation of ornamental flowers and molecular identification of transgenic plants. Her hobbies include running, painting, and bike riding.

Abstract:
Ms. Brzozowski will discuss the use of jellyfish (Aequorea Victoria) green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a reporter gene in plant transformation. Plant cell transformation is the genetic modification of an organism by introduction of foreign DNA. GFP is a new tool used to monitor gene expression in plants. GFP can be observed over an extended period of time in living tissue following UV or blue light excitation. An overview of GFP and plant transformation via bombardment will also be discussed.

Bio Sketch
Ji-Ping Zhao received his B.Sc from the Agronomy Department, Shandong University of Agriculture, P.R. China. He obtained his Ph.D. in the field of developmental biology from the Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON Canada. Ji-Ping became a Postdoctoral Fellow (award received from National Science and Engineering Research Council, Canada: NSERC), at Plant Research Centre, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada and worked on molecular evaluation of transgenic soybean. He has been with Ball Helix in West Chicago, Illinois for the past three years as a Developmental Biology Manager and works on development of doubled haploid plants in ornamental flowers. Research interests include genetics, cell biology, developmental biology and molecular biology. His hobbies are jogging and playing ping-pong.

Abstract:
Dr. Zhao will talk about the importance of the pollen developmental stage for optimal induction of microspore-derived embryogenesis. The concept of plant cell totipotency led the idea to use the male or female gametic cells to develop haploid plants so that homozygous breeding lines can be created following chromosome doubling. The immediate benefit from such doubled haploid lines will be to shorten the breeding cycle by up to 4-5 years compared to the conventional breeding program. One of the most crucial factors that influence the optimal androgenesis is the stage of microspore development. He will discuss the use of the microscope to determine the stage of microspore development that leads to the optimal androgenesis in several plant species.

Bio Sketch
Tau-San Chou received his Ph.D. from Illinois State University, Dept. of Biology. He is employed as a manager of the Cellular Biology Group of Ball Helix Co. He has been employed at Ball Horticultural Company for 20 years. At Ball, Tau-San applies genetics and tissue culture technologies to develop consumer desirable flower varieties. Tau-San's hobbies include reading, listening to classical music, walking his dog, and watching basketball and football on TV.

Abstract:
An interspecific hybrid, Impatiens flacida x I. repens, was recovered by ovule culture. Cytological analysis revealed that this hybrid is a 3X plant (2N=21). In this hybrid plant, chromosome analysis indicates 14 chromosomes came from I. flaccida (2N=14); the other 7 chromosomes came from I. repens (2N=7). This might be a case of 2N gamete (female) fertilized with a normal 1N gamete. All flowers on this hybrid plant are sterile. After colchicines treatment, amphidiploid plants were recovered. The induced amphidiploid plants were able to backcross with I. flaccida. Several secondary hybrids were recovered by ovule culture. The morphology and genetics of these secondary hybrids will be discussed.

SMSI Business meeting minutes. 21 Feb. 03 6:14 pm.
Members present: Lucy McCrone, Bill Mikuska, President, J. Barabe, W. Hopkins, R. Kuksuk, E. Lebryk, D. Richardson, S. Young. Proxies were voiced to Bill Mikuska from G. Laughlin, R. Lee, and S. Palenik. Bill Mikuska, President, called the meeting to order and presented the agenda: Micronotes, the publication of our society, costs about $900.00 per issue in printing and paper without color images. Postage is an additional $175.00. If it were to become an e-journal, it would greatly reduce the cost, have color images and allow a greater audience. S. Schmidt recommended and moved that Micronotes should establish itself as a free, peer reviewed e-journal and apply to http://ejournal.coalliance.org as a free, peer reviewed on line journal. The coalliance is the innovative Colorado group of librarians that index and publish this online database. This would give the journal Internet audience. Microscopy and Microanalysis was listed in this database when it was owned by Springer Verlag. W. Hopkins seconded the motion which carried unanimously. Lucy McCrone stated that Dave Stoney and Nancy Daerr be notified of the action. Business meeting adjourned.

SMSI Minutes. "Night of the Triffids" 21 Feb. 03
Announcements: The arrangements are complete for the PLM Introductory course for high school students (Sat. 12 Ap-17 My 03) at Fermilab. V.P & Recording Secretary's note: Bill Mikuska has done amazing work in reviving Leon Urbain's and W. McCrone's education program which is an important part of SMSI's charge. This Fermilab course for high school students, along with two lectures for Fermilab's "Science Resource Fair" as well as a DuPage County science teacher's in-service credit course has been accomplished through Bill's single-handed hard work. See smsi.org

Ball Helix Botanists, the world's leading developers of the floral bedding industry presented a vegan pemmican of microscopy, genetics, and fluorescence. See abstracts of meeting.

Tau-San Chou is working on the development of a yellow impatiens, a cultivar which does not yet commercially exist, but may soon be on the market. The USDA collection was used for this work.

Aubry Brzozowski discussed how the gene gun invented by Dr. John Sanford was used with tracers of green fluorescent protein. Looking for interesting traits of long term effect, low cost, a Leica MZ FLIII stereo microscope is a major tool which uses blue light rather than the damaging UV.

Ji-Ping Zhao is developing a double haploid breeding program which greatly shortens the breeding cycle in finding new traits from inbreeding that allows seed production. The microscope allows observation of the process which shows proper times for manipulation of development.

Post meeting demonstration: Dennis O'Leary (New York Microscope Society) Micro-Optical Methods, which deals in 'scope refurbishment used a Leitz Prodo Universal Projector with cylinders of fluorescein and slides to demonstrate optical theory of the light microscope.

Respectfully submitted, Stan Schmidt, Recording Secretary