Ceres, Inc (CERE)

[ralphjusa]

When the molecular and genetic basis for different plant characteristics are understood, a wide variety of polynucleotides, both endogenous polynucleotides and created variants, polypeptides, cells, and whole organisms, can be exploited to engineer old and new plant traits in a vast range of organisms including plants. These traits can range from the observable morphological characteristics, through adaptation to specific environments to biochemical composition and to molecules that the plants (organisms) exude. Such engineering can involve tailoring existing traits, such as increasing the production of taxol in yew trees, to combining traits from two different plants into a single organism, such as inserting the drought tolerance of a cactus into a corn plant. Molecular and genetic knowledge also allows the creation of new traits. For example, the production of chemicals and pharmaceuticals that are not native to particular species or the plant kingdom as a whole.