1. Genes and traits of interest II Neal Stewart
Lecture 13 Chapter 8
Genes and traits of interest II
Neal Stewart

2. Discussion questions
1. Other than the products discussed in this chapter, what other sorts of genes or strategies might be useful in engineering transgenic plants resistant to insects or pathogens?
2. Golden Rice producing provitamin A has the potential to help many impoverished people who might benefit from eating it. Although application of this technology is supported by many people and organizations, there are also some who oppose the technology. Considering their possible motivations and potential biases, discuss some of the reasons that groups have come out in favor or in opposition to Golden Rice.
3. What are the potential benefits of producing pharmaceutical proteins in plants? What are some of the disadvantages or potential dangers?
4. Animal genes can be inserted into plants and expressed. Would you be opposed to eating foods from plants expressing proteins encoded by animal genes? By human genes? Discuss the reasons for your answers.

3. Insect resistance

4. Controlling Colorado potato beetle is not easy

5. Bt corn

6. Bt cotton

8. Bacillus thuringiensis
Stewart, Genetically Modified Planet 2004

9. Bt Cry structure III I II
Stewart, Genetically Modified Planet 2004

10. Figure 8.3

11. Insect midgut cells that have bound Bt toxin.
Same gut cells a few hours later– note the damage and leakage.
Stewart, Genetically Modified Planet 2004

12. Bt Insect midgut cells that have bound Bt toxin.
Mutated receptors cannot bind Bt toxin.
Receptors are not present– cells cannot bind Bt
Stewart, Genetically Modified Planet 2004

13. Different Bt Crys Cry 1s—kills caterpillars (lepidoptera)
Cry 3s—kills beetles (coleoptera)
Canola plant expresses a Bt cry1Ac gene

14. Transgenic disease resistance
Viruses (yes)
Bacteria (no)
Fungi (no)
Nematodes (no)

15. Figure 8.4

16. RNA virus structure
Stewart, Genetically Modified Planet 2004

17. Discussion question
Other than the products discussed in this chapter, what other sorts of genes or strategies might be useful in engineering transgenic plants resistant to insects or pathogens?

18. Figure 8.5

20. Second generation
Output traits

21. Improved nutrition, better foods
Golden rice
Modified oils from oilseeds
Vitamin E enhancements

22. Golden rice: producing provitamin A

23. Biotechnologist of the day: Ingo Potrykus

24. Figure 8.6

25. Golden Rice producing provitamin A has the potential to help many impoverished people who might benefit from eating it.
Although application of this technology is supported by many people and organizations, there are also some who oppose the technology.
Considering their possible motivations and potential biases, discuss some of the reasons that groups have come out in favor or in opposition to Golden Rice.

26. Non-traditional products
Third generation
Non-traditional products

27. Examples Pharmaceuticals Oral vaccines Phytoremediation Phytosensors
Biofuels

28. Plant-made pharmaceuticals aka Molecular pharming
Duckweed
Grow in lab
Or field
Protein
Purification
Genetic
Engineering
Oral vaccine– eat the fruit, or purify the
vaccine pill or injection
Corn

29. Fraunhofer USA: one plant-based platform to produce pharmaceutical proteins: vaccines

30. What are the potential benefits of producing pharmaceutical proteins in plants? What are some of the disadvantages or potential dangers?

31. Phytorediation example How to remediate mercury in soil

32. Phytosensor example: plants to detect landmines

33. Phytosensor example: plants to detect landmines
No TNT
induction
+TNT
Using inducible
promoter/GFP
fusions

34. So, transgenic plants could be used in a lot of applications…
Are there any we should avoid?