Plants Flashcards
What is photomorphogenesis?
The process by which the growth and development of plants are regulated by light
What are two methods used to insert foreign genes into plants?
- Agrobacterium
- Biolistics
What are Agrobacterium?
Soil bacteria that have the ability to insert their DNA into plant cells
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How do we use Agrobacterium for genetic modification in plant cells?
- Take a seed embryo and insert Agrobacterium with a modified T-DNA with the genes of choice
- From that, an embryonic plant callus which contains the Agrobacterium will grow, and a plants with this gene can be generated
What can we use as a selective marker to ensure the Agrobacterium has been taken into the plant callus?
Antibiotic resistance genes can be used as a selective marker (i.e callus cells that do not take up the Agrobacterium will be killed in the presence of the antibiotic)
What does it mean for plant development to be indeterminate?
They are not limited in lifespan or to a particular size (like animals are)
What is plasticity of plants?
The ability to adapt/alter development ‘on the fly’ (i.e. no fixed blueprint for development
What does plant morphogenesis arise from?
Plant morphogenesis arises entirely from cell division and cell lineage
What 5 things is germination induced by?
- Light
- Heat
- Osmotic gradient
- pH & salt
- Fertilisation
What does germination lead to?
Polarisation and the formation of rhizoid and thallus cells
What ion has an important role in maintaining cellular organisation in plants?
Cells generate/control Ca2+ gradients to maintain cellular organisation
What does ‘signal cascade’ refer to in plant signalling?
The transduction process of the signalling, in which the signal is transmitted from the receptor the response mechanism
What are the roles of second messengers in plant signalling?
- Amplify the biochemical signal
- Transfer the signal to the response mechanism
What is abscisic acid?
Abscisic acid (ABA) is an important stimulus for stomatal closure during times of water stress
