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• Plant genomes are very large in comparison to other eukaryotes, mainly due to a high amount of repetitive DNA.
• Plant genomes can be compared with one another by mapping the locations of certain genes or gene traits in various plants. RFLPs and AFLPs can be used to map plant DNA.
• Arabidopsis thaliana has a small genome, for a plant. This complete genome is essentially sequenced, so all genes and their positions are known.
• The molecular maps of the genomes of rice and other grains demonstrate remarkable similarity.
• Functional genomics and proteomics will allow us to understand and utilize the information in fully sequenced plant genomes.
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1. Describe mechanisms for the generation of highly repetitive DNA in plants.
2. What characteristics of Arabidopsis thaliana make it useful as a model system in genetic studies and for the sequencing of its entire genome? Why is rice useful as a model system for the analysis of the genome of a monocot plant?
3. Why will microarrays be useful in functional genomics?
4. What type of questions can be asked now that the Arabidopsis and rice genomes are essentially sequenced?
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• With the addition of appropriate combinations of plant hormones (auxin, cytokinin), plant cells in culture can be directed to form organs, embryos, or whole plants.
• Anther cultures can produce haploid plants or plants that are homozygous for all traits.
• Plant tissue culture has a number of practical applications, including the industrial production of plant chemicals, clonal propagation of horticultural plants, and the generation of disease-free plants.
• Growth of plant cells in tissue culture over extended
time results in an increase in genetic variation called somaclonal variation.
This variation can extend beyond the traits present in the gene pool and
can generate novel genetic variations in breeding studies.
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5. Describe how whole plants can be regenerated from tissue-cultured plant cells using either organogenesis or somatic cell embryogenesis. Which approach requires the use of suspension cell cultures?
6. How are plant protoplasts generated, and what is protoplast fusion? How can plant protoplasts be used to generate hybrid plants that would not occur in nature?
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• Genetic engineering and biotechnology can be utilized to improve the quality of food crops, increase disease resistance, and improve the tolerance of crops to environmental stress.
• A key aspect of plant genetic engineering is the introduction
of foreign DNA into plant cells. This can be achieved using a particle
gun, electroporation, or agrobacterium as a vector.
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7. Describe how the particle gun and electroporation can be used to introduce foreign DNA into plant cells. Which approach requires the use of plant protoplasts? Why?
8. How can a plant be "engineered" to produce an edible vaccine ?
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