Vibha's Courses
I. Catalog Description
Topics will be covered in the field of in vitro plant biology, transgene genetics and crop genetic engineering. Concepts and applications of transgenic plant technology will be discussed, with the emphasis on the strategies for crop improvement and gene discovery. Lecture: 3 hours. Prerequisite: consult with the instructor. Spring semester, even year.
II. Method of Grading
Three long examinations
Three Quizzes
Group discussion
Final examination
III. Attendance Policy
Full attendance is very important for the student to keep up with the course. Students who missed a quiz or long examination for valid reasons will be allowed to take a make-up test. No make-up final examination will be given except for extreme or special cases.
V. Course Outline
Broad Objectives
1) To provide in depth knowledge of the science behind transgenic plant (GMO) technology.
2) To introduce students with the developments in cutting edge crop biotechnology and the changing trend of plant genetics.
Teaching Units: the course is divided into 3 units.
Unit I. In Vitro Plant Biology and plant transformation
Overview of plant tissue culture. History of in vitro plant biology, Culture media, plant hormones, Differentiation/ Regeneration.
Plant Transformation: history, protoplasts isolation, fusion; haploid technology.
Agrobacterium biology: Virulence genes, T-DNA transfer mechanism.
Plastid Transformation.
Fate of foreign DNA in plant cell: Mechanisms of DNA integration.
Transgene expression and inheritance: Stability of the transgene, patterns of integration.
Discussion on 2-3 selected articles
Unit II. Transgene genetics
Topics:
Site-specific recombination systems
Molecular biology of transposons
Homologous Recombination
Emerging technologies for improvement in plant transformation.
Gene Silencing:
Molecular strategies to prevent gene silencing
Transgenic approaches functional genomics:
Gene tagging
Discussion on selected articles.
Unit III. Crop Biotechnology
Thrust areas in biotechnology
Metabolic manipulations
Fatty acid genetic engineering
Tree biotechnology
Plastics in plant cell
Environmental Impact of crop biotechnology
Transgene containment strategies
Discussion on selected journal articles