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Tobacco

Part 8. Transgenic Plantation Crops, Ornamentals and Turf Grasses
Amit Dhingra

Amit Dhingra

Washington State University, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Pullman, WA, USA

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Victoria A. James

Victoria A. James

University of Florida, Department of Agronomy, Gainesville, FL, USA

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Hans U. Koop

Hans U. Koop

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Department Biologie I, Bereich Botanik Zellbiologie und Zellkultur, Munich, Germany

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Machteld C. Mok

Machteld C. Mok

Oregon State University, Department of Horticulture, Corvallis, OR, USA

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Rosine De Paepe

Rosine De Paepe

Universite Paris-Sud, Institut de Biotechnologie des Plantes (IBP), Orsay Cedex, France

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Maria Gallo

Maria Gallo

University of Florida, Department of Agronomy, Gainesville, FL, USA

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Kevin M. Folta

Kevin M. Folta

University of Florida, Horticultural Sciences Department and the Graduate Program in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology, Gainesville, FL, USA

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First published: 15 April 2009
Citations: 1

Abstract

January of 1983 was a turning point for plant biotechnology when tobacco was immortalized as a surrogate biological system for testing gene function at a conference on “Advances in Gene Technology: Molecular Genetics of Plants and Animals” hosted by the Miami Winter Symposia series. Although Arabidopsis has now become the system of choice for nuclear gene integration due to the ease of transformation and a short generation cycle, tobacco remains the only established system for plastid transformation. This review summarizes the use of tobacco in dissecting plant biology concepts pertaining to the three important compartments of the cell that harbor genetic material within them. Recent studies in N. benthamiana have brought the genus back to the limelight as an outstanding system for transient protein expression. Overall, this chapter also brings out the advantages and limitations of tobacco as a system for discovery in plant biology. As a nonfood and nonfeed crop tobacco retains a remarkable potential for use as a biofactory. Ironically, this genus with a notorious health reputation may prove to be indispensable for the production of medically relevant compounds.

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