| Abstract Detail
Emerging Model Species for Developmental, Evolutionary and Functional Analyses Gerats, Tom [1]. Petunia: still emerging? The genus Petunia harbours around 35 species and belongs to the family of the Solaneacea. It is one of the grand old bedding plants and as such practice-driven research to create new cultivars goes back to the dawn of genetics and even the days before. In the 1970 and -80’s the cytology of Petunia was creatively worked out at the INRA in Dijon, France, while the genetics and biochemistry of flower colour synthesis was performed mostly at the Genetics Department of the Univ of Amsterdam. A great new impulse came around 1985 with the cloning of the first genes from Petunia: the chalcone synthase gene family at the MPI in Cologne, while the group at the Free University in Amsterdam also initiated molecular research. Some highlights in Petunia research: the leafdisk transformation system was (co)developed in Petunia; the first transgene localization study, the first (plant) reports on antisense and cosuppression phenomena. Some call the Petunia transposable element system ‘the most effective tagging system’. I will present some history, but will put the emphasis on recent developments. On the technological side we have developed a system to simultaneously obtain sequence tags of ‘all’ transposon insertion sites from a library of plants, while we can relate back insertion sites to the plant of origin. We are creating a database which presently holds over 5000 sequence tags, many of which are in reading frames. An overview of insertional analysis of genes involved in floral development will be presented. The development of the Petunia Platform (http://www.petuniaplatform.net/ ) has brought together most groups working on Petunia. An overview of the major research themes can also be found in Gerats and Vandenbussche, TiPS 10 (5):251-255 (2005).
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Related Links:
website of the Nijmegen group
1 - Radboud University, IWWR/Plant Genetics, Toernooiveld 1, Nijmegen, 6525ED, The Netherlands
Keywords:
Petunia
transposon insertion
Flower development.
Presentation Type: Symposium or Colloquium Presentation
Session: SY05
Location: Stevens 1/Hilton
Date: Monday, July 9th, 2007
Time: 11:00 AM
Number: SY05006
Abstract ID:1180 |
