Syllabus
1. Plant biotechnologies: history, principles and use of in vitro techniques and models in experimental plant cell biology and their practical application in agroindustrial sphere
2. Cell cultures: the principles of their initiation, the techniques of the work with plant cell lines and protoplast cultures. Regulatory factors of their growth, division, differentiation. Growth and life cycles, cell senescence and programmed cell death .
3. Polarity and its role in the cell ontogenesis . The role of cytoskeleton and other cell structures in the determination of life events of plant cell lines.
4. Phytohormones and plant cell/tissue cultures. Hormonal metabolism of the cell lines, role of phytohormones / growth regulators in signal pathways in vitro.
5. The mechanisms of regeneration in vivo and in vitro. Principles of micropropagation techniques.
6. Plant embryogenesis I: zygotic and somatic, pollen embryogenesis, gynogenesis.
7. Plant embryogenesis II.: molecular aspects. Practical application of haploid/dihaploid plants in breeding, alternative techniques of their production.
8. Mutagenesis and selection in vitro. Somaclonal and gametoclonal variability. Somatic hybridization.
9. Transgenic cell lines and plants: principles of their construction and use as model materials in plant biology. GMO profits in agroindustry. Potential risks, legislative.
10. Plants and microorganisms: principles and consequences of their interactions. Plant cell/tissue cultures application in their theoretical studies.
11. Plants and abiotic stress. Plant cell/tissue cultures as model experimental systems.
12. Primary and secondary metabolism of plant cell/tissue cultures in connection with their practical application in agrofood, chemical and pharmaceutical industry.
Annotation
The lecture gives a survey of plant biotechnologies based on current knowledge in plant cell biology and mechanisms controlling behaviour of cells and cellular complexes (tissues, organs, embryos) both in vivo and in vitro. Further, it deals with interactions between plants and microorganisms as well as cellular and molecular mechanisms of stresses effect on plant organisms.
It includes characteristics of cellular division, differentiation and ontogenesis in in vitro plant cultures; programmed cell death and senescence are discussed. The methods, contemporary results, profits and risks of modern molecular approaches, including GMO construction and use are discussed.