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BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES 457

PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY

FALL 2007

PROFESSOR: Dr. A.R. Kermode Office: SSB 6155

Email: kermode@sfu.ca Ph. 778-782-3982

Lecture and Laboratory:

The material covered in this lecture/laboratory course will provide the student with a thorough understanding of the principles and practice of plant molecular biology. The techniques and procedures for plant genetic transformation, beginning with tissue culture, followed by foreign gene introduction, and regeneration and analysis of transformants, will be reviewed. Several examples of agronomic traits that have been successfully engineered in plants will be used to illustrate how genes are cloned, constructs made, genes introduced, and the transformants evaluated for gene expression.

Studies of transcription and promoter function in transgenic plants will be covered as well as manipulating the targeting of gene products to different organelles, particularly in respect of maximizing levels of gene expression and protein stability in foreign plant hosts.

The various applications of plant genetic engineering will be covered, including strategies to enhance protein nutritional qualities of seed proteins and using plants as factories for the production of pharmaceuticals (“molecular pharming”). Genetic engineering to enhance tolerance to environmental stress, insects and diseases, will be reviewed using appropriate examples. The latest techniques in silencing gene expression will also be discussed.

The laboratory component of the course will be designed specifically to introduce students to the latest technologies for transferring foreign genes into heterologous plant hosts. The student will learn techniques in plant tissue culture and protoplast isolation and will have the opportunity to analyze genetic transformants and monitor gene expression. Various aspects of the regulation of gene expression in the transformed plants generated by students will also be examined, including responsiveness to hormonal factors as well as the specificity of expression in different tissues/organs of the plant.

Required Text: None

Prerequisites: MBB 221 and MBB 222, both with minimum grade of C- or better

Undergraduate Student Grading:

The following grading scheme will be used for BISC 457:

Midterm exam: 25%

Final Exam: 40%

Laboratory reports: 25%

Presentation: 10%