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Lec.1: Plant Biotechnology to Genomics: Evolution of the

Revolution

I. Biotechnology is life technology the relation ship between biology, technology and applicationII. Green revolution gene

i. Dwarf genotype: more with less Increase on the harvest index = m (harvest)/total mass of crop Mutant allele of the GAI gene that leads to abnormal response to gibberilic acid (plant

growth regulator) and alteration on the signaling pattern of the encoded transcription

factor

Less biomass and more productivity, so bigger harvest index.ii. The power of the Phenotype: dwarf phenotype that increased harvest index caused by a

single gene a transcription factor that altered signaling by gibberellin, created the green

revolution.

III. The Cell and Molecular Revolutioni. 1953 - DNA molecular structure ii. 1967 - Restriction endonuclease iii. 1975 - Recombinant DNA iv. 1958 Regeneration in tissue culture (totipotency)

Totipotency is the ability of a singlecellto divide and produce all the differentiatedcells in anorganism, including extraembryonic tissues

Plant cells are totipotent. Each plant cell has all of the genetic information to makean entire plant. It has the full compliment of DNA.

v. 1982 - Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfervi. 1983 - Transgenic plants

FlavrSavr tomato was the first transgenic crop to be sold to the publicIV. Revolution: massive DNA sequencingV. Bioinformatics is the practice of using computers to

manage, store and analyze large amounts of biological data.

VI. Systems Biology describes the scale and complexity of theinterrelationships between different biological processes

i. Understanding everything at the same timeii. Influence of the genes in the systemiii. In-silico organisms

VII.Plant Biotechnology: Areas of impact

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_%28biology%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_%28biology%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_%28biology%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_%28biology%29

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i. Plant protectionii. Improve productivity and qualityiii. Plants as production factories for new

drugs, chemicals etc.

VIII.Summary Pointsi. Plants are the driving force for food, feed, fiber

and biomass production.

ii. Limitations of plant breeding: sexualcompatibility and availability of diverse phenotypes to improve plants.

iii. Phenotypic traits are encoded for by genes.iv. The unity principle: DNA is structurally and chemically the same in all living organisms and genes are

the functional product of this unity.

v. Because of this unity cross-kingdom movement of genes/phenotypes is possible and made a realitythrough biotechnologies recombinant DNA, transformation and genomics.

vi. A small component of the genome encodes genes.vii. Sexual compatibility is no longer a barrier in plant improvement due toviii.Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer.ix. Totipotency is key to making transgenic plants.x. Genomics integrates biology with engineering and is fueled by DNA sequencing.xi. Systems biology may permit the defining of a phenotype directly from the DNA sequence by

understanding gene function in the context of an organism/population and in response to the

environment

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