BIT 474/574: Plant Genetic Engineering

Course Objectives:

• To introduce students to the methods and technologies for plant transformation, detection of transgene expression, and selection of mutant plants
• To help students develop genetic engineering protocols and design hypotheses that can be tested using plant genetic engineering

Lectures:

1. Intro to Plant Genetic Engineering (PGE)
2. Agrobacterium Mediated Transformation
3. Trait Delivery Systems
4. PGE Vector Design
5. Exploration of New Genetic Elements for PGE
6. Screening and Selection Considerations and Challenges
7. Ethics and Regulation of Engineering Plants

Labs:

1. Floral dip, agroinfiltration, microparticle bombardment, and abrasion transformation of plants (Arabidopsis/tobacco)
2. Selection and detection of transgenic or genome edited plants (Arabidopsis/algae)
3. CRISPR knockout of phytoene synthase (algae)
4. Formulate a testable hypothesis and design a genetic engineering protocol for a non-model organism.

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