Biotechnology

Question 1

Genzentren

Answer 1

Ursprungszentrum landwirtschaftlicher Nutzpflanzen

Question 2

F1 hybrids

Answer 2

grow larger/better than parent plants
if seeds collected: offspring will loose these traits

Question 3

Genetic modification techniques

Answer 3

Cross breeding
Mutagenesis
Polyploidy
Protoplast Fusion
Transgenesis
Genome Editing

First four are seen as breeding => not regulated

Question 4

Why is cross breeding so time consuming?

Answer 4

You have to make crosses and backcross them with parents

Question 5

What do all genetic modification methods have in common?

Answer 5

Create genetic diversity that can then be selected for

Question 6

GE vs GMO

Answer 6

GMO common term to describe what scientists call GE, but not biologically correct, means biotechnologically changed organisms whereas biologically the term includes breeding, as these techniques also modify a genome

Question 7

Methods of nucleic acid delivery

Answer 7

Particle bombardment, Agrobacterium, Nanoparticle, Virus

Question 8

Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Answer 8

Causes crown gall disease

Question 9

Methods to transform plant cells with Agrobacterium

Answer 9

Transient expression via infiltration (can be used for vaccine production?)
Dip-inoculation => flowering plants => select germinated seeds
Co-incubation with plant tissues => selection => cell culture using cyt/aux

Question 10

Precise genome editing techniques

Answer 10

ZNFs, TALENS, CRISPR-Cas9

Question 11

TALENS

Answer 11

Transcription activator-like effector nucleases

Xanthomonas TAL type-III effectors

Inject virulence factors by type-III secretion systems
=> induce gene expression by binding to promotor
Hypervariable residues that can bind to DNA bases

DNA-binding proteins with predictable specificity

Structure wraps around DNA

Question 12

CRISPR-Cas9

Answer 12

Guide RNA, CAS9 protease?

Question 13

Applications of genetic engineering

Answer 13

Improved resistance to pathogens and pests
Resistance to drought and abiotic stress
Improved yields
Increased nutritional value
Reduced allergens and toxins
De-novo domestication

Question 14

Improving nitrogen fixation

Answer 14

Introduce genes for Symbiosis with Nitrogen fixating bacteria into non-legume plants (many genes involved => complex)
Provide plants with genes for nitrogen fixation directly

Question 15

Photosynthesis efficacy

Answer 15

The C4 Rice Project
Deregulate processes that are inefficient/produce toxic elements

Question 16

Golden Rice

Answer 16

Engineer rice to produce Vitamin A
Resistance => didn’t proceed for a long time

Question 17

Tomato fruit manipulation

Answer 17

De-novo domestication

Size:
Mutate promotor of genes involved in development
=> create diadic pattern of expression
=> some genes more, some less expressed in certain plant lines
=> see impact of modulating these genes

More, smaller tomatoes on branching, bushy plants

Question 18

Increase of plant disease outbreaks bc of

Answer 18

Increased global trade
Pathogen host-jumps
Climate change

Question 19

Control of plant diseases

Answer 19

Chemicals
Classical breeding
Genetic engineering

But others?!

Question 20

GE to control plant diseases

Answer 20

Gene silencing
Genome-editing of susceptibility gene
Transfer and pyramiding of immune receptors

Question 21

Rainbow Papaya

Answer 21

Many transgenic

Virus (PRSV) spread on Hawaii
=> small RNA production in response to virus (antisense strand that silences replication of virus)
=> ‘immunize’ plant against virus by introducing PRSV coat protein into virus

Question 22

small RNAs

Answer 22

can be produced by plant in response to pathogen => export into pathogen by extracellular vessicles => try to silence virulence genes

HIGS: host induced gene silencing
SIGS: spray induced gene silencing

Not often reproduced technique up until no

Question 23

Mutations in suceptibility

Answer 23

Mlo-knock out mutants
Mlo is conserved negative regulator of plant immunity => in all plants
7 transmembrane domain (Ca2+ ion channel?)
Selected for mutation by breeders => chemically induced mutation => now GE

Question 24

Resistance to bacterial blithe in rice

Answer 24

Xanthomonas oryzae

Secrete TAL effectors that induce expression of SWEET sucrose transporters => susceptibility genes (sugar in apoplast enables bacteria to multiply)

=> deletion of part of promotor, so that bacterial effector cannot bind anymore

Question 25

TAL effectors

Question 26

Types of PRRs

Answer 26

Receptor kinases and
Receptor-like proteins

Way of perception is the same, but receptor-like proteins need additional protein with kinase domain for signal transduction

Question 27

Most abundant protein in bacterial cells

Answer 27

EF-Tu
Widely conserved
But eIF18 perception restricted to brassicaceae => transgenic plants with resistance to bacteria

Question 28

Diff in resulting immunity due to NLRs vs PRRs

Answer 28

PRRs (extracellular) => gradient in immunity
NLRs (mostly intracellular) => infection or no infection

Question 29

Wheat Pm3 alleles

Answer 29

confer resistance to powdery mildew
combinations

Question 30

Atypical R genes

Answer 30

Genes that confer immunity but don’t encode immune receptors
Mechanism of disease resistance is unknown

Question 31

ABA production

Answer 31

Production of small signaling peptide in roots, transport to leaves perception by receptors leads to ABA translation/accumulation