ADVACED PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
Academic year and teacher
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- Versione italiana
- Academic year
- 2021/2022
- Teacher
- GIOVANNI BERNACCHIA
- Credits
- 6
- Didactic period
- Primo Semestre
- SSD
- BIO/04
Training objectives
- The course aims to provide knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying cell activities in plant systems. In particular, lectures will describe the structure and organization of plant genomes, the role of repeated sequences and transposable elements and molecular diagnostic techniques. Particular emphasis will be given to the study of the cellular mechanisms that regulate plant growth, differentiation, development and the responses to biotic and abiotic stresses.
Knowledge
The student:
- knows the organization of plant genomes;
- knows the structure and the role of repetitive DNA and small RNA in determining gene expression;
- can describe the molecular mechanisms that regulate cell differentiation and signal transduction;
- can describe stress responses and plant-pathogen interactions;
- knows plant transformation methods;
- can describe the characteristics of the model system Arabidopsis thaliana.
Applying knowledge
The student:
- knows how to properly use the terminology of molecular biology applied to plants;
- is able to describe the mechanisms of plant development and hormones action on plant in vitro growth;
- is able to analyse the results of genetic and molecular biology experiments aimed to study the expression of genes in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana Prerequisites
- The students must have a good knowledge of plant physiology and cell biology and basic knowledge of molecular biology and genetics. In particular, they should know the organization of the plant cell, photosynthesis, the hormone biosynthetic pathways, the organization of DNA and genetics.
Course programme
- The theoretical lessons are structured on topics of increasing complexity, normally lasting about 2 hours each.
The course describes the following topics.
In vitro cultures and plant micropropagation, the role of hormones and applications - The plant gene, role of the promoter and terminator, structural modularity - Methods of plant genetic transformation, Agrobacterium tumefaciens and direct methods, vectors of genetic transformation, working protocols - Applications and problems associated with obtaining and growing transgenic plants - Methods for the regulation of gene expression, antisense RNA and interference, application examples - Forward genetics: from the isolation of a mutant to the identification of the mutated gene - Reverse Genetics: isolation of an insertional mutant in the gene of interest - Gene regulation during development: cell cycle regulation and regulation of vegetative development and flower induction, flower development (MADS genes, the ABC model)
Organization, structure and characteristics of plant genomes, dimensions, repeated elements and variability - Structure of the nuclear genome and introduction of the concepts of autopoliploidy and allopoliploidy. - Genetic maps and physical maps, enrichment in molecular markers and molecular biology techniques for the identification of new markers - Improvement of plant species of agronomic interest, classical and molecular methods for crossing and selection - Signal transduction: receptors (light, hormones) - Plant responses to abiotic stresses - Plant-pathogen interaction: definition of pathogen, the zigzag model of response to pathogens. Didactic methods
- The course is structured in theoretical lectures for a total of 48 hours (6 CFU). The topics of the course will be described in depth in the classroom, moreover, references to scientific journals will also be presented. The topics covered will be explained through powerpoint presentations, which will be provided, in PDF format, to the students. Not all the topics of the course are covered by the recommended text books, they are therefore suggested for a better understanding of the basic concepts, it is therefore recommended to take part in the lessons. The last hours of the course can be dedicated to reviewing the main topics of the program.
Learning assessment procedures
- The objective of the exam is to test the abilities of synthesis of the acquired knowledge and reasoning on the problems of the course.
Oral exam: the student will answer on average three general questions, followed by further questions that may range to other topics of the course. Above all, the exam will evaluate the ability of the student to correlate the different topics of the course and his/her critical approach to biological data.
Written exam (if necessary based on the number of students): the student will answer on average 10-15 general open questions, each with a score ranging from 1 to 3.
The exams, whatever their form, might be also performed virtually, via PC, depending on the health emergency situation. Reference texts
- Notes and course material used during the classes.
Upgraded articles and reviews drawn from international journals.
Buchanan B., Gruissem W., Jones R. Biochimica e Biologia Molecolare delle Piante. 2003. Ed. Zanichelli
