Arabidopsis thaliana

1
Arabidopsis thaliana

• The Model Plant for
• Genetic Engineering
• By Mike Douglas
• and Joanna Naymark

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Why Is Arabidopsis a Model Plant?

• Relative genetic simplicity
• Convenience and abundance
• Susceptibility to T-DNA insertions
• Basic similarities to other crops

3
Arabidopsis Genome

• Small genome composed of approximately 25,700
  genes
• 5 chromosomes

• Genome mapping
• project completed
• due to internationally
• coordinated program

4
Convenience

• Easy to grow
• Small plant size means tens of thousands can be
  grown at a time
• 6-8 weeks from seeds to seeds
• Massive seed production (potential up to 10,000
  seeds per plant)
• Ability of Arabidopsis thaliana to self-fertilize

5
Making Knockout Plants

• Easily susceptible to Agrobacterium which contain
  Ti plasmids, the vehicles for T-DNA insertion
• Easy to establish many knockout lines in short
  amount of time

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Significance of Arabidopsis in Plant Genetics

• Basic life processes similar to those of more
  complex crop plants such as corn, soybean, and
  wheat
• It can be assumed that the basic set of genes
  that control these processes are the same, making
  findings applicable to other species

7
Ultimate goals

• Discoveries applicable in genetic engineering of
  crop varieties with disease and insect
  resistance, and other enhanced production
  qualities
• Startling fact In the next 50 years, we will
  need to produce more food than in the whole of
  human history and do it on the same or less
  amount of arable land.

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Summary

• Arabidopsis is a useful model plant
• Simple genome
• Easy maintenance and space-efficient
• Applicable similarities with other plants
• Potential to help increase food production
  quantity and quality to feed a growing world
  population