BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Tools for Engineering Morphogenesis in Plants - Dr Jim Haseloff\, 
 Department of Plant Sciences
DTSTART:20081001T130000Z
DTEND:20081001T133000Z
UID:TALK12814@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Duncan Simpson
DESCRIPTION:Synthetic Biology is an emerging field that employs engineerin
 g principles for constructing genetic systems. The approach is based on th
 e use of well characterised and reusable components\, and numerical models
  for the design of biological circuits – in a way that has become routin
 e in other fields of engineering. Synthetic Biology is providing a concept
 ual and practical framework for the systematic engineering of gene express
 ion and behaviour in microbes\, facilitating the design of novel regulator
 y networks\, including synthetic oscillators\, switches\, logic gates\, in
 tercellular signaling systems and metabolic pathways. Synthetic Biology ap
 proaches also show great potential for the engineering of multicellular sy
 stems. (1) The greatest diversity of cell types and biochemical specialisa
 tion is found in multicellular systems\, (2) the molecular basis of cell f
 ate determination is increasingly well understood\, and (3) it is feasible
  to consider creating new tissues or organs with specialized biosynthetic 
 or storage functions by remodelling the distribution of existing cell type
 s. Of all multicellular systems\, plants are the obvious first target for 
 this type of approach. Plants possess indeterminate and modular body plans
 \, have a wide spectrum of biosynthetic activities\, can be genetically ma
 nipulated\, and are widely used in crop systems for production of biomass\
 , food\, polymers\, drugs and fuels.\nCurrent GM crops generally possess n
 ew traits conferred by single genes\, and expression results in the produc
 tion of a new metabolic or regulatory activity within the context of norma
 l development. However\, cultivated plant varieties often have enlarged fl
 owers\, fruit organs or seed\, and are morphologically very different from
  their wild-type ancestors. Recent genetic studies have provided detail of
  the molecular processes underlying plant development. The next generation
  of transgenic crops will contain small gene networks that confer self- or
 ganizing properties\, and the ability to reshape patterns of plant metabol
 ism and growth. The ability to assemble new feedback regulated genetic cir
 cuits and developmental regulators in planta will allow the engineering of
  stable new patterns of gene activity\, and targeted reprogramming of the 
 number and arrangement of cell types in natural organ systems. Misregulati
 on of key transcription regulators can promote or repress the formation of
  particular cell types\, and coordinated misexpression can result in the e
 ctopic conversion of cell fates. This would provide a means to modify plan
 t form and biosynthetic activities\, with the ultimate prospect of produci
 ng neomorphic structures suited to bio production. We are assembling tools
  for the engineering of plant systems. We have constructed a software envi
 ronment for numerical description of multicellular plant behaviour\, which
  provides a model for the physical basis of plant cell growth and interact
 ion within a multicellular tissue (CellModeller).  \nGenetic and biophysic
 al models can be described and modelled using finite element analysis meth
 ods to allow the design and testing of new morphogenetic programs in silic
 o.\n\n
LOCATION:MR2\, Centre for Mathematical Sciences\, Wilberforce Road\, Cambr
 idge
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR