After successfully getting a gene construct into a plant cell and selecting the transformed cells, it is possible to get the plant cells to multiply in tissue culture. Also, by treating the plant cells with combinations of plant hormones, the cells are made to differentiate into various plant organs or whole plants.
For example, treating transformed plant cells with a high concentration of the plant hormone cytokinin causes shoots to develop. Transferring these shoots to another medium, one that is high in the plant hormone auxin, will cause roots to develop on the shoots. In this way a whole transgenic plant may be regenerated from transformed plant cells. Once a transformed plant is regenerated in tissue culture, the plant may be transferred to a climate controlled greenhouse, where it can grow to maturity.
Future generations of transgenic plants may then be propagated sexually via seeds or asexually via vegetative propagation methods. Often transgenic plants must be grown in containment greenhouses to prevent accidental release into the environment. In such high-tech greenhouses, all factors contributing to optimal plant growth lighting, temperature, humidity, nutrients, and other environmental conditions are tightly controlled. Often hydroponic systems, which use a solution of plant nutrients as a growth medium in place of soil, are employed to control all aspects of plant nutrition.
See also: Plant Tissue Cultures,Novel Products, Nutritional Goals, Public Concern, Genetic Engineering
|
