Transgenic plants are those plants were we insert an foreign gene in an host genome to modify its characters such as Stress tolerance, Virus resistant, Biotic and Abiotic Tolerance etc.

1. Prepared By: Vipin Kumar Shukla
Assistant Lecturer
BIO-SAFTEY IN TRANSGENICS & ITS
PRODUCTS

4. Contents:
 Definition .(Transgenic Plants)
& (Transgenic Animals) .
 Introduction.
 Methods.
 Examples.
 Uses.
 Advantages.
 Disadvantages.

5. Some Important Definitions:
 Transgene: It is defined as foreign gene or genetic material
that has been transferred naturally or by any of a number of
genetically engineering technology from one organisms to
another.
 Transgenesis: The phenomenon of introduction of
exogenous DNA into the genome to create and maintain a
stable and heritable character.

6. Introduction:
 Transgenic plants are the ones, whose DNA is modified
using genetic engineering techniques.
 The aim is to introduce a new trait to the plant which does
not occur naturally in the species. A transgenic plant
contains a gene or genes that have been artificially inserted.
 The inserted gene sequence is known as the transgene, it
may come from an unrelated plant or from a completely
different species. The purpose of inserting a combination of
genes in a plant, is to make it as useful and productive as
possible.

7. Continued…..
 This process provides advantages like improving shelf life,
higher yield, improved quality, pest resistance, tolerant to
heat, cold and drought resistance, against a variety of biotic
and abiotic stresses .
 To develop a transgenic plant, parameters such as vector
constructions, transformation methods, transgene
integration, and inheritance of transgene need to be
carefully considered to ensure the success of the
transformation event.

8. Continued……
 Transgenic plants can also be produced in such a way
that they express foreign proteins with industrial and
pharmaceutical value.
 Plants made up of vaccines or antibodies (Plant bodies)
are especially striking as plants are free of human
diseases, thus reducing screening costs for viruses and
bacterial toxins.
 The first transgenic plants were reported in 1983. Since
then, many recombinant proteins have been expressed .

9. Transgenic Plant or Animal:
 The plant or Animal whose genome is altered by adding
one or more transgenic plant or animal.
 Introduction: A transgenic animal or Transgenic plant is
one that carries a foreign gene that has been deliberately
into its genome.
 Foreign gene are inserted into the germ line of the animal.
So, it can be transmitted to the progeny.
 In, 1973-74, Rudolf Jaenisch. Created a transgenic mouse
by introducing foreign DNA into its embryo.
 It took another (8 years) to passed the transgene to their
offspring.
 A super mouse was created by Ralph Brunster & Richard
Palmiter in (1984).

10. Continued……
 In several important agronomic species of plants including
tobacco, corn, tomato, potato, banana, alfalfa and canola,
Tobacco plants were generally used, however potatoes and
bananas are also considered, for the purpose of vaccines for
human beings.

11. Why Transgenic Plants:
• Insecticide
Resistance.
• Herbicide
Resistance
Abiotic
stress
Tolerance.
Biotic Stress
• Pharmaceutical &
Vaccines.
• Industrial Products &
Enhanced Shelf Life.
Nutritional
Quality

12. Why Transgenic Animals:
Production of Abs
& Recombinant
proteins.
Model
organisms.
Clinical studies-
Vaccine
production
Disease
Resistance
Improved nutritional value.

14. Gene Transfer Methods:
 BIOLOGICAL METHODS
 Agrobacterium mediated gene transfer
 Plant virus vectors
 PHYSICAL METHODS
 Electroporation
 Micro projectile
 Microinjection
 Liposome Fusion
 CHEMICAL METHODS
 Polyethylene glycol mediated
 Diethylaminoethyl dextran mediated

16. AGROBACTERIUM MEDIATED GENE TRANSFER:
 Agrobacterium is treated as
nature’s most effective plant
genetic engineer.
 A.tumifaciens infects wounded or
damaged plant tissues results in the
formation of plant tumor called
crown gall.
 The bacterium releases Ti plasmid
into the plant cell cytoplasm which
induce crown gall.
 Several dicots are affected by this
disease e.g. grapes, roses, etc.

17. Organization of Plasmid:
 The size of Ti plasmid is approx. 200
kb.
 The Ti plasmid has three important
regions:
 (i) T-DNA region
 (ii) Virulence region
 (iii) Opine catabolism region
 There is ori region that is responsible
for the origin of DNA replication.

18. Fig: Diagrammatic representation of T-DNA transfer &its integration into host
plant cell genome

20. Plant Virus Vectors:
 Plant viruses are considered as efficient gene
transfer agents as they can infect the intact
plants and amplify the transferred genes
through viral genome replication.
 It has some limitations like that vast majority
of plant viruses have genome not of DNA but
of RNA. Two classes of DNA viruses are
known to infect higher plants, caulimovirus
and geminivirus & neither is ideally suited for
gene cloning.

21. Caulimovirus:
 They contain circular dsDNA and are
spherical in shape. The caulimovirus group
has around 15 viruses & among these
Cauliflower Mosaic Virus(CaMV) is the
most important for gene transfer.
 CaMV infects many plants & can be easily
transmitted. The infection is systemic.
 It’s genome does not contain any non-
coding regions.

23. Geminivirus:
 They contain one or two circular ssDNA.
They are particularly interesting because
their natural host include plant size such as
maize & wheat.
 They could therefore be potential vector for
these and other monocots.
 They have their own set of difficulties-
 It is very difficult to introduce purified viral
DNA into the plants.

25. It is also known as micro projectile bombardment, biolistics, gene
gun, etc.
Foreign DNA coated with high velocity gold or tungsten particles
to deliver DNA into cells. This method is widely being used
because of its ability to transfer foreign DNA into the mammalian
cells and microorganisms.

26. Micro-Projectile:
 It is also known as micro projectile
bombardment, biolistics, gene gun,
etc.
 Foreign DNA coated with high
velocity gold or tungsten particles to
deliver DNA into cells.
 This method is widely being used
because of its ability to transfer
foreign DNA into the mammalian
cells and microorganisms.

28. Virus resistant plants:
 Plants may be engineered with genes for resistance to
viruses, bacteria, and fungi.
 Virus-resistant plants have a viral protein coat gene that is
overproduced, preventing the virus from reproducing in the
host cell, because the plant shuts off the virus protein coat
gene in response to the overproduction.
 Coat protein genes are involved in resistance to diseases
such as cucumber mosaic virus, tobacco rattle virus, and
potato virus X.

29. Vaccine production:
 Potatoes have been studied using a portion of the E. coli
enterotoxin in mice and humans and then transgenic
potatoes were produced.
 Ingestion of this transgenic potato resulted in satisfactory
vaccinations and no adverse effects.
 Other candidates for edible vaccines include banana and
tomato, and alfalfa, corn, and wheat are possible candidates
for use in livestock.

30. Continued…..
 One focus of current vaccine effort is on
hepatitis B.
 Transgenic tobacco and potatoes were
engineered to express hepatitis B virus
vaccine.
 Edible vaccines are vaccines produced in
plants that can be administered directly
through the ingestion of plant materials
containing the vaccine.
 Eating the plant would then confer
immunity against diseases.

31. Golden Rice:
 Transgenic technology produced a type of rice that accumulates
β-carotene in rice grains.
 When it is consumed, β-carotene is converted into vitamin-A.
 It contains 37 mg/g of carotenoid of which 84% is β-carotene.

32. Flavr-Savr Tomato:
 This is produced by antisense technology.
 The polygalactouronase gene, which is responsible for fruit decay is
silenced.

33. Tearless Onion: Colour cauliflower

34. Purple Tomato Purple Rose

35. Colorful Corns: