Università Roma Tre

This course will provide students with an in-depth knowledge of plant transformation techniques and plant biotechnology applications for crop improvement and the production of new molecules. This course will also give information on emerging technologies, such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and will describe their importance in plant biotechnology research.
Another important aim of the course is to prepare students to conduct laboratory work and research in the sectors of plant biotechnology and food industry, as well as to critically analyze scientific information

Three are the main arguments of the course:
-Gene transfer techniques;
-Applications of Plant Biotechnology;
-Analysis of Risks and Benefits of plant genetic manipulation.

In detail, during the course the following arguments are discussed:
Techniques for gene transfer into the nuclear and palstidic genome; Techniques for in vitro culture of plant cells; Use of selectable gene markers and reporte genes; Strategies to remove selectable markers from transgenic plants; Inducible expressione of transgenes in plants; Transient expression of genes in plants; Gene silencing in plants and applications; 'Gene targeting' in plants; 'Genome editing' in plants; Plants with improved nutritional value; Production of various molecules, such as antibodies and vaccines, in transgenic plants; Biotechnological strategies to obtain plants resistant to herbicides, pathogens and environmental stresses; Plants with increased Photosynthetic rate; Biosafety and Bioethical issues related to plant Biotechnology; emerging technologies and Plant Biotechnology

-Recommended textbooks:

1. BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF PLANTS (2000) BUCHANAN B.B, GRUISSEM W., JONES R.L., AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGISTS, ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND.
2. HANDBOOK OF PLANT BIOYECHNOLOGY (2004) CHRISTOU P., KLEE H., HOBOKEN, (N.J.), WILEY.
3. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY AND TRANSGENIC PLANTS (2002) OKSMAN-CALDENTEY K.-M., BARZ W.H., NEW YORK, DEKER.

-Scientific articles published in international journals (pdf files will be provided).
-Lecture notes will be provided.