TRANSGENIC PLANTS

Seminar By
P. Rajasekhar
M.Sc., (Botany)
 Introduction

• The term transgenic plants indicate the plants created in laboratory

by using genetic engineering technology.
• The aim is to design the plants with desirable characters by artificial
insertion of genes from other species such as from bacteria, virus,
animals or from other plants.
• In the past, high yielding varieties are developed by conventional
methods of plant breeding. But these are time consuming and take
long time to give a new variety.
• But in recent years, with the advent of new green technology,
non-conventional methods have been developed. These are ,
In vitro culture technology ( Tissue culture) &
Genetic engineering technology ( rDNA technology).
 How these are developed?

 rDNA technology:

• It was and is being used extensively with microbial systems.

• It is an important tool for the direct genetic manipulation of plants.

 Agro bacterium
tumefaciens
Bacterial
Chromosome

T-DNA

Ti Plasmid Plant chromosomes

Agrobacterium cell Plant cell

 Three major reasons for developing
transgenic plants:

• Addition of genes to improve the agricultural, horticultural or

ornamental value of crop plants.

• Transgenic plants act as living bio-reactors for the inexpensive

production of economically important proteins/metabolites.

• Genetic transformation of plants provide a powerful means for

studying the action of genes during development and other
biological processes.

• Today over 140 different plant species have been genetically

transformed in over 50 countries world wide.
 Achievements in plant genetic engineering:

 Flavr Savr Tomato

• This is the first genetically modified

plant developed in the year 1994.

• Delayed softening.

• Remains firm and fresh for a long time

& consumers get a better tasting
tomato.

• It has resistance against virus (TSWV)

and pests.
 Bt - Cotton

• Normal cotton is mostly attacked by the insects belonging to

Lepidopteron larvae.

• On introduction of Bt gene from Bacillus thuringiensis into normal

cotton it got resistance against the pests.

• Because this bacteria produces toxin which is harmful to the larvae,

the respective gene was incorporated into the cotton plants for
providing resistance against them.
 Bt - Groundnut

• Groundnut (Arachis hypogea) is mostly effected by fungal

pathogens such as:

Cercospora personata and

Cercospora arachidicola.

• These pathogens develop severe spots on the leaves. As a result

the yield reduces.

• To overcome this loss, Bt gene was introduced into normal

groundnut plants, which produced more yield and got resistance
against these pathogens.
 Bt - Corn

• Normal corn (Zea mays) plants are

infected by following diseases:
Mildews (Sclerospora) &
Smut (Ustilago).

• European corn borer, a pest, causes

heavy loss to this crop in European
countries.

• Transgenic corn containing Bt gene

from Bacillus thuringiensis was
introduced to control this corn borer.
 Bt - Squash

• The Freedom II squash has

a modified coat protein that
confers resistance to
Zucchini yellow mosaic
virus and watermelon
mosaic virus II.

• Scientists are now trying to

develop crops with as many
as 5 virus resistance genes
 Bt - Brinjal

• Normal brinjal effected by Mycoplasma parasites causes a disease,

little leaf of brinjal, characterized by lowering of flower and fruit
setting. As a result there is a great reduction in yield.

• But by genetic engineering, Bt gene was introduced in to these

plants which gave more resistance against these pathogens.
 Golden Rice

• Golden rice contains beta – carotene gene, a source of vitamin – A.

• It is good for healthy vision and prevents night blindness.

• It is developed by Prof. Ingopotrykus, a Swiss scientist and

Dr. Peter Beyer, a German scientist.

• Golden rice was developed by introducing 3 new genes from :

Daffodils(2 genes) and one from bacteria.
 Golden Rice
Transgenic technology
produced a type of
rice that accumulates
beta-carotene in rice
grains. Once inside Normal rice
the body, beta-
carotene is converted
to vitamin A.

More than 120 million

children in the world suffers
from vitamin A deficiency.
Golden Rice has the
potential to help prevent the Golden rice
1 to 2 million deaths each
year caused by a deficiency
in this vitamin.
 Transgenic Rice

• Archived research laboratories discovered a gene called Xa 21,

from bacterium, that confers resistance to leaf blight of rice.

• In future this will be developed widely in agriculture.

• Another transgenic rice was developed by introducing maize gene

into the rice genome. This would in turn increase the rate of
photosynthesis by extracting as much as up to 30% CO2 from
atmosphere.

• As a result it in turn controls global warming and also this rice has
resistance to drought and excess heat, which would solve the
problem of world hunger.
 Future of Transgenic Plants

 Tomatoes

• Want to enhance lycopene-

nutritional factor related to
vitamin A.

• Want to delay ripening to

improve flavor.

• Want to confer resistance to

bacterial speck disease
 Transgenic Papaya

 Papaya
• Virus resistant.
• Restored the papaya industry in Hawaii.
• Reduced crop loss.
 Virus Resistant Crops

•Papaya infected
with the papaya
ring spot virus.

Virus resistance
gene
introduced.
 Other Cool Plant Biotech Products

 Blue Carnations and Roses.

• Nature can not make these.

 Non-allergenic peanuts.
• Kids can take peanut butter
sandwiches to school again!

 Decaffeinated coffee.
• Less processing.
 In Medical Field

 AIDS & Tomato

• Scientists from Novosibirsk are currently creating tomatoes with
pleasant and harmless vaccines which are edible .
• In these tomatoes they incorporated HIV antigen gene, which gives
resistance to AIDS by simply eating the tomatoes.
 Diabetes
• London researchers found a way to prevent this disease.
• In their research they fed diabetic prone mice with transgenic plants
like tobacco and potato that produce large amounts of protein called
glutamic acid carboxylase, found in pancreas, that cured diabetes.
• The above results suggested that one day diseases can be
prevented by simply eating delicious transgenic plants.
 Negative effects of Transgenic plants

• These create some potential ecological risks to humans and other

consumers.
• There is evidence that foreign DNA can enter the body via the
gastrointestinal tract and cross the placenta and enter the new born
thus causing genetical defects to the new born.
• Transgenic plants can produce unanticipated toxins and allergins.
• Gene transfer can occur between transgenic plants and bacteria
that creating some ecological consequences which are catastrophic.
• Transgenic plants/ organisms serve as a source for new disease
and as a medium for the evolution of new pathogens because of
their altered physiology and biochemistry.
• The expression of gene should be in a specific site. For eg: The
beta-Carotene gene in rice is expressed in aleuron layer rather than
in endosperm which results in loss of particular character during
polishing.