Applied Plant Biotechnology

Abstract

Plant Biotechnology with a focus on green gene technology, provides methods, applications in basic research and agronomy including bio-safety, risk assessment, ethical topics, legal regulation, role of stakeholders and media in the public debate. Students should acquire the ability to develop research projects and to complement their knowledge from the literature, and communicate with the public.

Objective

The complete field of Plant Biotechnology shall be introduced in order to provide an overview over the diversity of this discipline, its connections with other disciplines, and its historical context. A major focus of the block course will be the potential of genetic modification as a tool for gene function in basic science as well as for agronomic and/or commercial application dealing with benefit and risk. Basic methods will be handled in practical experiments, lectures will provide the theoretical background including issues beyond the scientific scene like patent issues, ethical considerations, or legal regulation. The goal of this teaching unit is to educate interested students such that they overlook the discipline, are able to understand the basic methodical and intellectual approaches, understand and critically interpret the literature on this field and are able to further follow the development in this field after finishing their studies. Finally, the students should learn to develop own research projects and follow them including communication of their work to the public or the media.

Content

The following topics will be included, most but not all will be practically handled by the students -tissue culture with plants (tobacco, cereals, cassava, cell cultures, somatic embryogenesis, regeneration) -sterile work with plants (axis cultures, seeds, roots) -methods for genetic transformation (Agrobacterium, microprojectiles, PEG) -selection systems (antibiotic and herbicide resistance, phosphor-mannose isomerase, marker-free systems, visible markers) -inducible promoters, scilencing, -molecular analysis of mutants and genetically modified (GM) plants (copy number, inheritance of transgenes, proteome and metabolome profiling) -transcription analysis (micro array, Real-Time PCR, Northern, Western) -application potential (herbicide tolerance, pest and pathogen resistance, new products, pharmaceutical applications, biofuel etc.) -biosafety (risk assessment, toxicology, allergenicity, legal regulation) -public interest (ethical issues, patenting of GM-plants, coexistence, GM food, public outreach or how to deal with public media).

Resources