William F. Grant
MA (McMaster University), PhD (University of Virginia), Hon DSc (McMaster University)
F.L.S., F.R.S.C.
Emeritus Professor, Department of Plant Science
Phone: 514-398-7863
Fax: 514-398-7897
william [dot] grant [at] mcgill [dot] ca (E-mail)
Consulting activities
Environmental mutagenesis
Higher plants provide valuable genetic assay systems for screening and monitoring environmental pollutants in water, land, or air. They are now recognized as excellent indicators of cytogenetic and mutagenic effects of environmental chemicals and are applicable for the detection of environmental mutagens both indoor as well as outdoor. Comparison between plant and non-plant genetic assay systems indicate that higher plant genetic assays have a high sensitivity and are considered most appropriate tests in the prediction of mutagenicity/carcinogenicity. Two assays which are considered ideal for in situ monitoring and testing of airborne and aqueous mutagenic agents are the Tradescantia stamen hair assay for mutations and the Tradescantia micronucleus assay for chromosome aberrations. Both assays can be used for in vivo and in vitro testing. Higher plant systems are now recognized as excellent indicators of the cytotoxic, cytogenetic, and mutagenic effects of environmental chemicals and have unique advantages for in situ monitoring and screening. Plant systems can be used as a first-tier assay system for the detection of possible genetic damage resulting from pollution or the use of environmental chemicals. The results from higher plant genetic assays could make a significant contribution in protecting the public from agents that can cause mutation and cancer. Higher plant genetic assays are inexpensive and easy to handle and ideal for use in developing countries.
Birdsfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.)
During the last three decades Birdsfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) has emerged as a highly successful forage crop in eastern Canada and the United States. It has distinct advantages for forage production on wet, acid, or shallow soils. On such sites, it out produces alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and is longer lived than alternative legume crops such as red and white clover. It is used extensively on new highway slopes, for soil improvement, and erosion control. Lotus corniculatus is a tetraploid species and knowledge of the biology of this species and that of wild species in the genus with potential desirable characters of economic importance is required for the development of plants as new cultivars. Studies carried out by the author and his students include: development of haploids, trisomics, karyotype analyses, species and evolutionary relationships, the transfer of genes through interspecific hybridization and amphidiploidy from wild diploid species to the cultivated birdsfoot trefoil, herbicide resistance, pod shattering and development of biochemical markers (phenolics, molecular, RAPD).
Selected Publications
Grant, W. F. and E. T. Owens. 2006. Zea mays assays of chemical/radiation genotoxicity for the study of environmental mutagens, Mutation Research 613, 17-64.
Grant, W. F. 2004. List of Lotus corniculatus (Birdsfoot trefoil), L. uliginosus/ L. pedunculatus (Big trefoil), L. glaber (Narrowleaf trefoil) and L. subbiflorus cultivars. Part 1. Cultivars with known or tentative country origin, Lotus Newsletter 34: 12-26. http://www.inia.org.uy/sitios/lnl/vol34/grant.pdf (Online publication)
Kawaguchi, M., A. Pedrosa-Harand, K. Yano, M. Hayashi, Y. Murooka, K. Saito, K. Namai, H. Nishida, D. Shibata, S. Sato, S. Tabata, M. Hayashi, K. Harada, N. Sandal, J. Stougaard, A. Bachmair, and W. F. Grant. 2005. Lotus burttii takes a position of the third corner in the Lotus molecular genetics triangle, DNA Research 12: 69 – 77.
Noguchi, J., De-Yuan, H. and Grant, W. F. 2004. Historical process and differentiation of Hemerocallis middendorfii revealed by intergenic nucleotide variations between rbcL and atpB genes of cpDNA. Plant Systematics and Evolution, 247: 1-22.
Grant, W. F. 2002. Seed size and seed weight in some Lotus (Fabaceae) species. Seed Technology 24: 119-121.
Grant, W. F. and Owens, E. T. 2002. Lycopersicon assays of chemical/radiation genotoxicity for the study of environmental mutagens. Mutation Research 511: 207-237.
Grant, W. F. and Owens, E. T. 2001. Chromosome aberration assays in Pisum for the study of environmental mutagens. Mutation Research 488: 91-116.
Grant, W.F. 1999. Higher plant assays for the detection of chromosomal aberrations and gene mutations. Mutation Research 426: 107-112.
Grant, W. F. 1999. Interspecific hybridization and amphidiploidy of Lotus as it relates to phylogeny and evolution. In P. R. Beuselinck, ed., Birdsfoot Trefoil: The Science and Technology of Lotus. American Society of Agronomy. pp. 43-60.
Vessabutr, S. and Grant, W. F. 1995. Isolation, culture and regeneration of protoplasts from birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus). Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture 41: 9-15.
Grant, W. F. 1994. The present status of higher plant bioassays for the detection of environmental mutagens. Mutation Research 310: 175-185.
Grant, W. F. 1986. Plants also offer an alternative to animal research. Canadian Research 19 (2): 71.