300421 VO Plant Genetics and Plant Biotechnology (2008W)

The lecture course treats cell biological and molecular approaches to plant biotechnology. In the basis of an introduction in plant breeding and Mendelian genetics in the first part (Heberle-Bors), plant organ, tissue and cell culture methods are presented for micropropagation, somaclonal variation, generation of hybrids and cybrids, doubled haploids by androgenesis and gynogenesis, fermentation for pharmaceuticals, including metabolic engineering on a genomic basis. Developmental, molecular and genetic mechanisms for male sterility (F1-hybrid seeds), apomixis, and plant cell totipotency are discussed. In the second part (Touraev) plant cell culture technologies and DNA transfer technologies are presented resulting in the formation of transgenic plants. An introduction to several use of transgenic plants in basic science and biotechnology follows (insertion mutagenesis, herbicide resistance, BT-toxin, colour genes, etc.)