Lecture 21: Biotech and Modern Agriculture - 11/27 Flashcards
What are the fixed locations on which genes are located called?
Locus (plural: loci)
Mutation breeding
Exposing seeds to chemicals or radiation to induce new genetic mutations
Somaclonal variation
Genetic changes that occur during in vitro tissue culture
What are the three things plant breeding requires?
Fertile plant parents
Availability of populations with beneficial traits
Many generations of back-crossing
Linkage drag
When genes that are linked to the gene of interest tag along during introgression
Hybrid vigor
Some traits need to be heterozygous
Introgression
The transfer of genetic information from one species to another as a result of hybridization between them and repeated backcrossing
Biotechnology
Any process that involves the application of:
in vitro nucleic acid techniques (including recombinant DNA, for example)
fusion of cells (overcoming natural physiological reproductive barriers)
“in vitro” meaning
A procedure performed outside of a living organism and in an artificial environment
For example, performing gene modification on a cell inside a test tube would be considered in vitro
Genetic engineering
Allows for the modification of the plant’s genome by means other than conventional breeding, genetic mutations, or tissue culture
Transgenic organisms
Plants containing the DNA of another organism
How has the cost of DNA sequencing changed over the past 20 years?
It has decreased significantly
What are the three main methods used to introduce DNA fragments into a plant’s genome?
Chemically-mediated transfer
Physically-mediated transfer
Vectors
Protoplasts
Cells without a cell wall
Chemically-mediated transfer
Make protoplasts (cells w/o cell wall) by degrading cells’ cell walls with a mixture of polysaccharide-degrading enzymes
DNA uptake is enhanced by chemical treatments which reversibly stabilize the plasma membrane so it’s permeable to DNA
A whole plant is regenerated from that protoplast