Search

BACKGROUND: Effective management of weedy species in agricultural fields is essential for maintaining favorable growing conditions and crop yields. The introduction of genetically modified crops containing herbicide tolerance traits has been a successful additional tool available to farmers to better control weeds. However, weed resistance challenges present a need for additional herbicide tolerance trait options. RESULTS: To help meet this challenge, a new trait that provides tolerance to an aryloxyphenoxypropionate (FOP) herbicide and members of the synthetic auxin herbicide family, such as 2,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4‐D), was developed. Development of this herbicide tolerance trait employed an enzyme engineered with robust and specific enzymatic activity for these two herbicide families. This engineering effort utilized a microbial‐sourced dioxygenase scaffold to generate variants with improved enzymatic parameters. Additional optimization to enhance in‐plant stability of the enzyme enabled an efficacious trait that can withstand the higher temperature conditions often found in field environments. CONCLUSION: Optimized herbicide tolerance enzyme variants with enhanced enzymatic and temperature stability parameters enabled robust herbicide tolerance for two herbicide families in transgenic maize and soybeans. This herbicide tolerance trait for FOP and synthetic auxin herbicides such as 2,4‐D could be useful in weed management systems, providing additional tools for farmers to control weeds. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For almost half a century, the structure of the full-length Bacillus thuringiensis ( Bt) insecticidal protein Cry1Ac has eluded researchers, since Bt-derived crystals were first characterized in 1965. Having finally solved this structure we report intriguing details of the lattice-based interactions between the toxic core of the protein and the protoxin domains. The structure provides concrete evidence for the function of the protoxin as an enhancer of native crystal packing and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cover image is based on Research Article Development of enzymes for robust aryloxyphenoxypropionate and synthetic auxin herbicide tolerance traits in maize and soybean crops by Clayton T Larue et al., DOI: 10.1002/ps.5393 X‐ray crystallography was used to solve the structure of FT enzymes (FT_T shown in both ribbons and space fill views). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]