- Email: [email protected]
Testing for Genetic Manipulation in Plants. Molecular Methods of Plant Analysis, Volume 22
Plant Science 165 (2003) 445 www.elsevier.com/locate/plantsci
Book review Testing for Genetic Manipulation in Plants. Molecular Methods of Plant Analysis, Volume 22 Edited by J.F. Jackson, H.F. Linskens, Springer, 2002. 194 pp; t129, ISBN 3-540-43153-5 This second multi-authored volume in the renamed series Modern Methods of Plant Analysis deals with methods of molecular biology applied to the analysis of genetically manipulated (GM) plants, food and feed. The book is organised in 11 well-written chapters in almost 200 pages. The editors have undertaken the nontrivial task of selecting largely attractive contributions on specific methodologies covering a range of applications and target crops avoiding the description of standard methods required for the unequivocal demonstration of transgenesis in plants, which have been previously reported extensively in multiple laboratory molecular biology manuals. The first four chapters cover a comprehensive overview of selectable and screenable marker genes for plant transformation */with an exclusive emphasis on rice as target crop though*/followed by detailed descriptions of applications of reporter genes encoding green fluorescent protein, luciferase and b-glucuronidase in the production of transgenic plants and analysis of gene expression in plants. PCR based methods applied to the detection of genetic manipulation in grain legumes are outlined in chapter 5. The next chapter provides a thorough review and critical assessment of the suite of methods available for the elimination of selectable marker genes from transgenic crops including approaches based on co-transformation, transposition, site-specific recombination and intrachromosomal recombination systems. The following chapter deals with a detailed account of the multi-auto-transformation system based on the use of the isopentenyl transferase as selectable marker gene for the production of marker-free transformation events. Two chapters on assessment of
the feeding value of transgenic corn and cotton expressing Bt pesticidal proteins and nutritionally enhanced rice and potato expressing soybean glycinin exemplify the basic principles */including substantial equivalence based on compositional analysis */of the safety assessment of GM crops. The remaining two chapters refer to studies on chromosomal variation and genomic stability in transgenic plants */in both cases with a narrow focus, namely, soybean and barley plants, respectively. In spite of being to a large extent uniformly formatted, the different scope of the contributions and their multi-authored nature are clearly evident in most chapters, which vary significantly in style */from general overview articles to detailed step-by-step description of experimental protocols */and depth. Most chapters are profusely illustrated with original photographs and/or line drawings */in some instances though, the reader will miss colour images that could have been wisely used to replace the black and white images shown, thus adding to the didactic value of the book; this being particularly the case in some chapters on reporter gene expression. The book will certainly be useful to molecular biologists, biotechnologists and molecular breeders, and should find its main application on the desk and the lecture room */and not necessarily on the laboratory bench.
German Spangenberg Plant Biotechnology Centre, Agriculture Victoria, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Melbourne, 3083 Vic., Australia E-mail address: [email protected]
0168-9452/03/$ - see front matter # 2003 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/S0168-9452(03)00207-3
Book review Testing for Genetic Manipulation in Plants. Molecular Methods of Plant Analysis, Volume 22 Edited by J.F. Jackson, H.F. Linskens, Springer, 2002. 194 pp; t129, ISBN 3-540-43153-5 This second multi-authored volume in the renamed series Modern Methods of Plant Analysis deals with methods of molecular biology applied to the analysis of genetically manipulated (GM) plants, food and feed. The book is organised in 11 well-written chapters in almost 200 pages. The editors have undertaken the nontrivial task of selecting largely attractive contributions on specific methodologies covering a range of applications and target crops avoiding the description of standard methods required for the unequivocal demonstration of transgenesis in plants, which have been previously reported extensively in multiple laboratory molecular biology manuals. The first four chapters cover a comprehensive overview of selectable and screenable marker genes for plant transformation */with an exclusive emphasis on rice as target crop though*/followed by detailed descriptions of applications of reporter genes encoding green fluorescent protein, luciferase and b-glucuronidase in the production of transgenic plants and analysis of gene expression in plants. PCR based methods applied to the detection of genetic manipulation in grain legumes are outlined in chapter 5. The next chapter provides a thorough review and critical assessment of the suite of methods available for the elimination of selectable marker genes from transgenic crops including approaches based on co-transformation, transposition, site-specific recombination and intrachromosomal recombination systems. The following chapter deals with a detailed account of the multi-auto-transformation system based on the use of the isopentenyl transferase as selectable marker gene for the production of marker-free transformation events. Two chapters on assessment of
the feeding value of transgenic corn and cotton expressing Bt pesticidal proteins and nutritionally enhanced rice and potato expressing soybean glycinin exemplify the basic principles */including substantial equivalence based on compositional analysis */of the safety assessment of GM crops. The remaining two chapters refer to studies on chromosomal variation and genomic stability in transgenic plants */in both cases with a narrow focus, namely, soybean and barley plants, respectively. In spite of being to a large extent uniformly formatted, the different scope of the contributions and their multi-authored nature are clearly evident in most chapters, which vary significantly in style */from general overview articles to detailed step-by-step description of experimental protocols */and depth. Most chapters are profusely illustrated with original photographs and/or line drawings */in some instances though, the reader will miss colour images that could have been wisely used to replace the black and white images shown, thus adding to the didactic value of the book; this being particularly the case in some chapters on reporter gene expression. The book will certainly be useful to molecular biologists, biotechnologists and molecular breeders, and should find its main application on the desk and the lecture room */and not necessarily on the laboratory bench.
German Spangenberg Plant Biotechnology Centre, Agriculture Victoria, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Melbourne, 3083 Vic., Australia E-mail address: [email protected]
0168-9452/03/$ - see front matter # 2003 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/S0168-9452(03)00207-3