March 12, 2003

Western Australia researchers analysing the DNA of more than a dozen plants and animals will be the first in Australia to use the $230,000 Transgenomic WAVE Denaturing High Performance Liquid Chromatograph (DHPLC).

The Transgenomic WAVE system is amongst the most sensitive and accurate technologies for detecting unknown genetic mutations and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which are the minute distinctions in the DNA of individuals of the same species that determine individual differences, such as resistance or susceptibility to disease.

The machine was recently delivered to the Western Australia State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre (SABC) at Murdoch University, where local researchers will use it to unravel the mysteries of transferring desired characteristics during plant and animal breeding.

"Researchers in agricultural biotechnology work on more than 12 different species of plants and animals, which is a much bigger task than that faced by medical researchers," SABC Director, Mike Jones noted.

"Their work is compounded by the size and complexity of plant and animal genomes. Arabidopsis, for example, is one of the simplest plant genomes and has 25,000 genes. Researchers serving Western Australia’s multi-million dollar wheat industry face a genome containing six times as much DNA as a human’s," Professor Jones explained.

"The Transgenomic WAVE equipment will provide a cost effective way to discover DNA markers, such as SNPs, without trawling through the whole genome."

SABC Laboratory Manager, Dr David Berryman, said the system was the first in Australia with fluorescent detection and a fraction collector.

"It utilises patented DNA binding columns and precise temperature control to separate DNA with single base differences and will be used to discover, screen and analyse genetic variation for a wide range of research projects," he explained.

Professor Jones said the new equipment added to the SABC’s $8+ million technological infrastructure available to the 200 researchers now using the facility.

"This investment is helping to keep Western Australia at the cutting edge of agricultural biotechnology, which is surging ahead by using new technologies for gene discovery and the application of molecular knowledge to improve crops and livestock."