[APWG] Fw: A. petiolata enzyme or proteome research

[Jil_Swearingen at nps.gov]

Hi,

If you can help Mr. Johnson, Please respond directly to him at
pjohnson at ccthita.org

Thank you,

Jil

                            ___________________
                             JIL M SWEARINGEN
                         Regional IPM Coordinator
                       Phone/ 202-342-1443, ex. 218
                             Fax/ 202-282-1031
                          Jil_Swearingen at nps.gov

                           NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                          National Capital Region
                         Center for Urban Ecology
                         4598 MacArthur Blvd., NW
                            Washington DC 20007

                         WEEDS GONE WILD Web Page
                      http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien


----- Forwarded by Jil Swearingen/NCR/NPS on 06/23/2004 01:53 PM -----
                                                                                                                                      
                      "Phil Johnson"                                                                                                  
                      <pjohnson at ccthita        To:       <Jil_Swearingen at nps.gov>                                                     
                      .org>                    cc:                                                                                    
                                               Subject:  RE: A. petiolata enzyme or proteome research                                 
                      06/17/2004 11:22                                                                                                
                      AM PST                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                      




Hi Jil,

I would greatly appreciate you passing this inquiry on to folks who
could possibly work on it!  Thank you for your efforts!!
____________________________________________________________________

Original message:

I have followed some of your effort on the Alliaria petiolata problem in
the United States.   Thank you for all your hard work on education
about, and eradication of invasive plants!  If you have the time, please
consider my request:

Please let me know if there is any enzyme or proteome research currently
underway on Alliaria petiolata in the U.S. by U.S. government
laboratories that you are aware of:  I am particularly interested in enzyme
or
protein changes in A. petiolata signaling the plant that it has flowered
and
produced seeds in its second and final year of life.

Because A. petiolata is so biologically unique (especially that non-
mycorrhizal feature) it may be possible to create a synthetic enzyme
that specifically targets A. petiolata to force a premature death of the
plant by making seedlings behave as though they are plants that have
flowered
and fruited, and thus, are in the final phase of the plant's two year life.

I have already established that A. petiolata, if physically prevented
from flowering and fruiting in its second year, will keep living.  It will
continue living into a 3rd or 4th year still attempting to produce
fruits until either it does produce fruit or until the plant is destroyed
by
chemical means or by physically uprooting.  This suggests a possible
existence of an enzyme that the plant either stops or starts producing
after flowering and fruiting.  If its "biennial-ness" were a function of
genetics alone, the plant should die after its second year regardless of
whether or not it flowered and produced fruit.

Any suggestions on who may know more about this?  If not, can you
suggest where I could get information on how our organization could form a
partnership with a good lab to research and field test this idea?

I greatly appreciate your assistance in this matter,

Phil Johnson
Natural Resource Specialist
Native Lands & Resources
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska
320 W. Willoughby Avenue, Suite 300
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-7193
907-463-7361 Fax
1-800-344-1432 Toll Free