From mouse to mouse‐ear cress: Nanomaterials as vehicles in plant biotechnology

Modern biotechnology enables an organism to produce a totally new product which the organism does not or cannot produce normally through the incorporation of the technology of ‘Genetic engineering’. Biotechnology shows its technical merits and new development prospects in breeding of new plants varieties with high and stable yield, good quality, as well as stress tolerance and resistance. Some of the most prevailing problems faced in agricultural ecosystems could be solved with the introduction of transgenic crops incorporated with traits for insect pest resistance, herbicide tolerance and resistance to viral diseases. Plant biotechnology has gained importance in the recent past for increasing the quality and quantity of agricultural, horticultural, ornamental plants, and in manipulating the plants for improved agronomic performance. Recent developments in the genome sequencing will have far reaching implications for future agriculture. From this study, we can know that the developing world adopts these fast-changing technologies soon and harness their unprecedented potential for the future benefit of human being.

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Plant Biotechnology Workshop for High School Students

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.33.3.504e ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 504e-504

Author(s):

Erika Szendrak ◽

Paul E. Read ◽

Jon S. Miller

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

High School Students ◽

Medical Science ◽

Plant Biotechnology ◽

Plant Science ◽

High School Biology ◽

School Students ◽

Subsequent Transformation ◽

Set Up

Modern aspects of many subjects (e.g., computer science and some aspects of medical science) are now taught in many high schools, but the plant sciences are often given short shrift. A collaboration was therefore established with a high school biology program in which pilot workshops could be developed to enable advanced students to gain insights into modern plant science techniques. A successful example is the workshop on plant biotechnology presented in this report. This workshop is simple and flexible, taking into account that most high school biology laboratories and classrooms are not set up for sophisticated plant science/biotechnology projects. It is suitable for from 10 to 30 students, depending upon space and facilities available. Students work in pairs or trios, and learn simple disinfestation and transfer techniques for micropropagation and potential subsequent transformation treatments. Students gain insights into: sterile technique and hygiene; plant hormones and their physiological effects; plant cell, tissue and organ culture; the influence of environmental factors on response of cells and tissues cultured in vitro; and an understanding of the phenomenon of organogenesis and resulting plant growth and development. This workshop has been tested on several classes of students and following analysis, several refinements were included in subsequent iterations. Results of the students' experiments have been positive and instructive, with student learning outcomes above expectations. Further details of the workshop techniques and approach will be presented.

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A Leaf Bud Development Scale for Rabbiteye Blueberry

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.33.3.455f ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 455f-456 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

D. Scott NeSmith ◽

Gerard Krewer ◽

Jeffrey G. Williamson

Keyword(s):

Reproductive Development ◽

Developmental Differences ◽

Research Management ◽

Growth Stages ◽

Vaccinium Ashei ◽

Bud Development ◽

Dormant Bud ◽

Mouse Ear ◽

Highbush Blueberries ◽

Winter Chilling

Crop vegetative and reproductive development are frequently divided into stages to describe progression of development. Such a description is useful in denoting developmental differences between cultivars, for making crop management decisions based on growth stages, and for clear communication among individuals concerned with research, management, and production of the crop. We have developed such a scale for leaf bud development in rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium ashei Reade). Our scale has six stages briefly described as follows: 1) dormant bud; 2) early green tip; 3) late green tip; 4) unfolding stage; 5) mouse-ear stage; 6) fully opened bud. Categorizing buds in this manner has proven useful in comparing rates of leaf development between cultivars and in response to winter chilling. The stages appear to be relevant to highbush blueberries (V. corymbosum) as well.

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On the Absence of a Plant Biotechnology Cluster (Dutch)

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.1795068 ◽

2011 ◽

Author(s):

Geert Vissers ◽

Ben Dankbaar

Keyword(s):

Plant Biotechnology

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The struggle with rheumatism through Dracunculus vulgaris Schott: In the light of ethnobotanical information.

Current Molecular Pharmacology ◽

10.2174/1874467213666200502020345 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 ◽

Author(s):

Fatma Tuğçe Gürağaç Dereli ◽

Mert Ilhan ◽

Esra Küpeli Akkol

Keyword(s):

Petroleum Ether ◽

Inflammatory Diseases ◽

Petroleum Ether Extract ◽

Major Constituent ◽

Control Group ◽

Ether Extract ◽

Test Models ◽

Mouse Ear ◽

Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy ◽

Abdominal Constriction

Background: The fruits with the seeds of Dracunculus vulgaris Schott. (Araceae) are used against inflammatory diseases in Turkey. Objective: Present study was designed to justify this folkloric usage type of the plant. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the anti-inflammatory activity of D. vulgaris. Methods: Petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts were prepared from the fruits, successively. Carrageenan-, serotonin-, and prostaglandin E2-induced hind paw edema; acetic acid–induced capillary permeability and 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate–induced mouse ear edema models were used to assess the antiinflammatory activity of the extracts. The analgesic activity was experienced by using p-benzoquinone-induced abdominal constriction test. Results: The petroleum ether extract displayed the highest activities in all of the used test models compared with the control group. Therefore, the constituents of this extract were determined by using gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy (GC–MS). Linoleic acid was found to be major constituent of the petroleum ether extract of D. vulgaris. Conclusion: This study has provided some justification for the folkloric use of the plant.

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Plant-Derived Nano and Microvesicles for Human Health and Therapeutic Potential in Nanomedicine

Pharmaceutics ◽

10.3390/pharmaceutics13040498 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 498

Author(s):

Mariaevelina Alfieri ◽

Antonietta Leone ◽

Alfredo Ambrosone

Keyword(s):

Therapeutic Potential ◽

Biological Activities ◽

Plant Biotechnology ◽

Bioactive Metabolites ◽

Anticancer Activities ◽

Long Distance ◽

In Vivo Models ◽

Therapeutic Tools

Plants produce different types of nano and micro-sized vesicles. Observed for the first time in the 60s, plant nano and microvesicles (PDVs) and their biological role have been inexplicably under investigated for a long time. Proteomic and metabolomic approaches revealed that PDVs carry numerous proteins with antifungal and antimicrobial activity, as well as bioactive metabolites with high pharmaceutical interest. PDVs have also been shown to be also involved in the intercellular transfer of small non-coding RNAs such as microRNAs, suggesting fascinating mechanisms of long-distance gene regulation and horizontal transfer of regulatory RNAs and inter-kingdom communications. High loading capacity, intrinsic biological activities, biocompatibility, and easy permeabilization in cell compartments make plant-derived vesicles excellent natural or bioengineered nanotools for biomedical applications. Growing evidence indicates that PDVs may exert anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anticancer activities in different in vitro and in vivo models. In addition, clinical trials are currently in progress to test the effectiveness of plant EVs in reducing insulin resistance and in preventing side effects of chemotherapy treatments. In this review, we concisely introduce PDVs, discuss shortly their most important biological and physiological roles in plants and provide clues on the use and the bioengineering of plant nano and microvesicles to develop innovative therapeutic tools in nanomedicine, able to encompass the current drawbacks in the delivery systems in nutraceutical and pharmaceutical technology. Finally, we predict that the advent of intense research efforts on PDVs may disclose new frontiers in plant biotechnology applied to nanomedicine.

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The politics of genetic technoscience for conservation: The case of blight-resistant American chestnut

Environment and Planning E Nature and Space ◽

10.1177/25148486211024910 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 251484862110249

Author(s):

Jessica C Barnes ◽

Jason A Delborne

Keyword(s):

Participant Observation ◽

Historical Analysis ◽

Plant Biotechnology ◽

American Chestnut ◽

Non Profit ◽

Socially Constructed ◽

Neoliberal Capitalism ◽

Political Outcomes ◽

Genetic Technologies ◽

Genetics And Genomics

Innovations in genetics and genomics have been heavily critiqued as technologies that have widely supported the privatization and commodification of natural resources. However, emerging applications of these tools to ecological restoration challenge narratives that cast genetic technoscience as inevitably enrolled in the enactment and extension of neoliberal capitalism. In this paper, we draw on Langdon Winner’s theory of technological politics to suggest that the context in which genetic technologies are developed and deployed matters for their political outcomes. We describe how genetic approaches to the restoration of functionally extinct American chestnut trees—by non-profit organizations, for the restoration of a wild, heritage forest species, and with unconventional intellectual property protections—are challenging precedents in the political economy of plant biotechnology. Through participant observation, interviews with scientists, and historical analysis, we employ the theoretical lens provided by Karl Polanyi’s double movement to describe how the anticipations and agency of the developers of blight-resistant American chestnut trees, combined with chestnut biology and the context of restoration, have thus far resisted key forms of the genetic privatization and commodification of chestnut germplasm. Still, the politics of blight-resistant American chestnut remain incomplete and undetermined; we thus call upon scholars to use the uneven and socially constructed character of both technologies and neoliberalism to help shape this and other applications of genetic technoscience for conservation.

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