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Genetically engineered dandelion can ooze more rubber | Scientists have developed a genetically engineered
dandelion that produces more latex that could be used in gloves, tyres and drugs.
For thousands of years, most of the world's rubber has come from tropical rubber
trees. A diagonal cut in the trunk allows the white latex to drip into hanging
cans, which can then be harvested and eventually turned into a variety of materials.
But, natural rubber contains trace amounts of biological impurities. For car tyre
makers, those impurities give vulcanised rubber a give and elasticity they can't
get anywhere else. For some hospital workers, however, those same impurities can
trigger life-threatening allergic reactions. Synthetic or petroleum-based rubber
typically has fewer impurities than natural rubber, which makes it ideal for applications
like allergy-free gloves. But, according to a report in ABC Science, dandelion-derived
latex has both the elasticity of natural rubber but lacks the allergens, making
it an ideal alternative to rubber tree latex. Unfortunately, dandelion-derived
latex is also difficult to obtain. Because dandelion latex transforms from a liquid
to a solid on contact with the air (known as polymerisation), turpentine and naphtha
are usually required to chemically extract the latex from the shredded remains
of Russian dandelions. To eliminate polyphenol oxidase, the enzyme responsible
for the phase change, German scientists engineered a special virus. Once inside,
the virus deleted the offending genetic sequence from the Russian dandelion's
DNA. Pop the head off an infected dandelion, and the latex begins to flow freely.
Eliminating polymerisation means dandelion latex can be harvested using a low-speed
centrifuge, a much easier and cheaper alternative than chemical solvents. It also
means up to five times the amount of rubber can be harvested than with chemical
extraction. "We have identified the enzyme responsible for the rapid polymerisation
and have switched it off," said Dr Dirk Prufer, a scientist at Fraunhofer Institute
in Munich, Germany, who is developing the technology. "If the plants were to be
cultivated on a large scale, every hectare would produce 500 to 1000 kilograms
of latex per growing season," he added. |
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