LBIK10214U Frontiers in Plant Science

Volume 2013/2014
Education
MSc Programme in Agriculture
MSc Programme in Biology-Biotechnology
Content
This advanced course is a cross-faculty effort, which involves the strong scientific groupings in the new Copenhagen Plant Science Center.

Research topics in the frontier of plant science will be elucidated guided by the newest scientific literature. Examples of selected topics are:

1. Photosynthesis and its regulation
How do the photosystems of plants respond to different light conditions (intensity, wavelength, duration) and to changes in other environmental factors?

2. Regulation of carbohydrate metabolism
How is whole plant growth tuned by the key steps of carbohydrate metabolism at the cellular level?

3. Molecular physiology of mineral nutrient acquisition, transport and utilization
Plants use a wide range of mechanisms and responses to acquire essential mineral nutrients from the soil. How are these mechanisms working together?

4. Plant hormones: Signal perception and transduction
Phytohormones can initiate a wide range of contrasting responses. How can different stimuli give rise to different responses all use the same messenger?

5. Plant microbe interactions
Plants interact with a diverse range of microorganisms which can be both beneficial (e.g. symbiotic nitrogen fixation) and harmful (e.g. causing disease).

6. Responses to abiotic stresses
Progress in understanding plant responses to stress has been impressive. The problem of how plant homeostasis is maintained in a changing environment still raises many new questions.

7. Development
The onset of flowering represents a major developmental shift in the plant life cycle and a myriad of genes control this developmental process. Programmed cell death is a controlled process that results in senescence.

8. Plant cell polymers and cell wall elongation
The plant cell wall is not a dead coat. Recent research shows that it is a complex and dynamic entitity controlling many vital plant processes.

9. Bioimaging as a powerful technology to study long distance transport in plants.

10. Light signaling processes in plants to ensure optimal metabolic responses to external stimuli.

11. Biosynthesis of pharmacologically active terpenoids and their production by heterologous expression.

12. Biosynthesis of cyanogenic glucosides and their multiple roles in primary and secondary metabolism.

13. Biosynthesis and regulation of glucosinolates and their production in heterologus hosts.

14. Gene silencing
Gene silencing occurs naturally by small interfering RNAs but can also be induced by virus mediated gene silencing. Both mechanisms can be used as effective tools to study gene function in plants.
Learning Outcome
The aim of the course is to give the student a thorough knowledge of important research topics within modern plant biology. The course will illustrate how novel technologies within plant genonics, genetics, biochemistry and physiology are used to produce coherent knowledge of complex biological systems which previously were diffucult to understand. The use of the new knowledge in designing crop plants for the future using classical breeding in combination with genetic engineeering will be discussed.

After completion of the course the student should be able to:
Knowledge:
- describe the a frontiers of international research in plant science within a range of core areas.
- identify molecular methods and approaches which can be used to solve specific problems within plant biology.

Skills:
- interpret the results persented in scientific articles and take a critical and creative standpoint to the presented scientific problems.
- use basic knowledge from other disciplines in an integrated manner when analysing current problems in plant biology.
- discuss ethical problems related to the latest developments in plant science.

Competences:
- evaluate critically the limits and possibilities of new theories and the solidity of experimental evidence.
- transfer theories and principles from advanced state-of-the-art molecular plant biology to solve new questions posed by the research community, industry and the society.
Literature
20-30 scientific papers will be part of curriculum
Knowledge within biochemistry, plant physiology, anatomy, genetics, bioinformatics and molecular biology
Lectures and discussions based on recent articles from the scientific literature and case studies. The presentations based on recent scientific papers will demonstrate how important molecular biological methods are being used to solve current scientific problems within plant biology. Lectures and journal clubs


Lectures and discussions based on recent articles from the scientific literature and case studies. The presentations based on recent scientific papers will demonstrate how important molecular biological methods are being used to solve current scientific problems within plant biology.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Exam
  • 10
  • Lectures
  • 40
  • Preparation
  • 132
  • Theory exercises
  • 24
  • Total
  • 206
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral examination, 30 min
Oral examination
Exam registration requirements
Approval of three written reports
Aid
Written aids allowed
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
One internal examiner
Criteria for exam assesment
See Learning outcome