PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY
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- Versione italiana
- Academic year
- 2021/2022
- Teacher
- GIUSEPPE FORLANI
- Credits
- 6
- Curriculum
- Biotecnologie per l'ambiente
- Didactic period
- Secondo Semestre
- SSD
- BIO/04
Training objectives
- Plant biotechnologies imply a good knowledge on plant biology and physiology, with special emphasis on the plant responses to stress conditions. Furthermore, basic knowledge on plant-environment interaction, plant-pathogen interaction, parassites and symbionts, are required for a correct approach to the field of modern biotechnology.
Recombinant DNA technologies, stable plant transformation, (Agrobacterium tumefaciens, particle bombardment, microinjection) transient expression, in vitro culture, had contributed to build up the valuable opportunities of applied biotechnologies, the fundamental steps in the green and gene revolutions, supplying today different solutions for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical production, vaccines and bioremediation, biofuels and industrial new materials.
The main objective of the course is supplying to the students the most important bases for the understanding of a plant, its relationship with the surrounding environment, the transformation technologies, the new breeding technologies, with their vantages and limits, national and international legislation, new tools and methodologies.
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
The student:
- will learn the proper scientific terminology;
- will know the mechanisms underlying the main biological processes in the plants at the molecular level;
- will know the mechanisms by which plants are able to convert light into chemical energy; how the plant interacts with pathogens, pests and symbionts.
- will know the methods for in vitro culture, plant transformation, plant regeneration;
- will know practical approaches to new breeding technologies, especially those which are emerging in the last few years;
- will know how plants can be source of farmaceuticals, vaccines, biofuel, secondary metabolites, industrials material.
ABILITY TO APPLY KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
The studenti will be able:
- to use the proper scientific terminology;
- to understand the main physiological processes during plant development;
- to understand the basic techniques in plant biotechnology, such as the establishment of plant cell cultures Prerequisites
- The student should have basic knowledge of general chemistry, organic chemistry, biophysics and biochemistry, and a solid understanding of both the basics of cell biology and plant physiology, and the scientific method and its terminology.
Course programme
- The course consists of 48h of lectures on the following topics:
- Why study plants (3h).
- Limiting conditions for plant growth and the plant response to stress: drought, excess salt, temperature extremes, ozone, nutrient starvation (10 h)
- Plant environment and plant microorganisms interactions: symbiosis and pathogenesis, competition, defense strategies, evolution and co-evolution (8 h).
- Plant secondary metabolism, medicinal plants and industrial crops (4 h)
- In vitro cultures and recombinant DNA technologies as the basis for plant biotechnology (4 h)
- Transgenesis, cisgenesis, genome editing, evolution of a technology, patenting and disclosure protection (4 h).
- Fields of application for plant biotechnology: in vitro micropropagation, genetic improvement and culture management (herbicides), plant biofactories, phytoremediation, algal biotechnology (14 h). Didactic methods
- The course consists of theoretical lessons. In particular, 48hs in total of teaching (6 CFU). Classes are held weekly in the classroom, using powerpoint slides.
To help students to assess their level of preparation, at regular intervals 2 lectures are devoted to self-assessment tests: the teacher asks a dozen questions on the topics covered during the last weeks, allowing the students some think time to answer; then, the questions are answered by random selected student and discussed together in the classroom, with a quick review of the related subjects, giving the student an immediate feedback on the correctness of his/her answer. Learning assessment procedures
- The final exam is aimed to verify the student's level of knowledge and understanding of the subject, and the student's ability to discuss and explain the key concepts. The evaluation is expressed in thirtieths (minimum rate 18/30).
The exam may be written or oral, at the student's choice.
The written exam is offered twice a year, at the end of the course. It consists of 42 questions (about one for each lecture) requiring short open answers or multiple-choice answers. The exactness and the completeness of each answer is evaluated and scored 1 point (correct), 0.5 point (incomplete or only partially correct), or 0 point (incorrect or missing). A total score of at least 18 is needed to pass the exam.
The oral exam if offered both at the end of the course and throughout the academic year. It usually consists of 3 questions on the topics covered by the course. The exam is not successfully passed if the student completely fails to answer or address one of the questions, or if he/she simply makes statements without having an adequate understanding of underlying processes. The final score takes into account both the knowledge and reasoning skills demonstrated by the student. Reference texts
- Figures and diagrams used during the lessons, provided by the teacher as mp4 files, are supplied to the students during the lectures.
Some materials are freely available from the American Society of Plant Biology website (http://www.plantcell.org/content/teaching-tools-plant-biology).
The students are also supplied with references of reviews and scientific papers which are considered useful to get a deeper insight in some of the topics treated.
