Transgenic Plants

1
Transgenic Plants

• By Alexa Rand, Rachael Ritt, and Hanna Scinto

2
Gregor Mendel

• Born in Heizendorf, Austria
• Began experiments in 1865 at the University of
  Vienna
• Bred pea plants
• Concepts of inheritance
• First to genetically alter plants
• His paper on genetics was largely ignored until
  1900 when Hugo de Vries and Carl Correns
  publicized his findings

3
What Are Transgenic Plants?

• Possess a gene or genes that have been
  artificially inserted instead of a plant gaining
  them from pollination
• The inserted sequence is a transgene
• Purpose to design plants with specific
  characteristics from other species or sometimes
  even different kingdoms
• Plants containing transgenes are often called
  genetically modified or GM crops
• Ex. Transgenic Bt corn produces its own
  insecticide and contains a gene from a bacterium

4
How to Make a Transgenic Plant

• http//ag.udel.edu/agbiotech/transgenic-tomato.php

5
How to Make a Transgenic Plant
6
Advantages of Discovery

• Without it, security of our food supply against
  losses caused by crop pests such as rusts and
  mildews would be greatly compromised
• Longer shelf life / Improved nutritional
  qualities
• Disease, herbicide, and pest resistance
• Reduced costs of farming (transgenic plants dont
  die as easily as normal ones)

7
Advantages Continued

• Non-biological stress resistances (drought,
  nitrogen starvation, and nutritional improvement)
• Have been used for bioremediation of contaminated
  soils mercury, selenium, and organic pollutants
  are removed by transgenic plants containing genes
  for bacterial enzymes
• Can be produced on a much larger scale
• Production size is flexible and easily adjustable
  to the needs of changing markets

8
(No Transcript)
9
Drawbacks of Discovery

• Possibly increases the number of allergic
  reactions that develop in humans in the U.S.
• Main cause in the elevation of cancer rates in
  the general population (food-related)
• Transgenic foods may cause our bodies to become
  immune to certain antibiotics because of
  transferred DNA that codes for resistance (this
  gene can be passed on to future generations)
• Genetically altered corn can potentially harm
  aquatic ecosystems

10
Future of Transgenic Plants

• Tomatoes
• Golden Rice
• Improve Turf Grass
• Plant-based Vaccines (transgenic bananas)
• Nicotine-free Tobacco
• Forest Trees
• Grapes in Wine