TOBACCO

In plants, green fluorescent protein (GFP) has been incorporated into several types of research. At the cellular level, GFP has been fused to plant proteins in order to visualize the movement of proteins within individual cells. GFP transgenes can also be used to determine which DNA sequences within the plant genome regulate the transcription of individual genes. At the level of the plant, the GFP transgene can be used to monitor the extent to which a transgene is produced in the field and the degree to which it is transferred between plants.

The tobacco incorporated into The Eighth Day project was generated as part of a study by Dr. Neal Stewart (University of North Carolina, Greensboro) to demonstrate that GFP could be used to monitor gene transfer in the field. The movement of a transgene from its intended host to plants around the field could have potentially grave ecological consequences. By using the GFP transgene, Dr. Stewart and his colleagues will be able to assess the rate of gene transfer with a transgene that does not alter the physiology of the plant.

S.M. Leffel, S.A. Mabon, and C.N. Stewart Jr. Applications of green fluorescent
proteins in plants. Biotechniques 23, 912-918 (1997).
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B.K. Harper, S.A. Mabon, S.M. Leffel, M.D. Halfhill, H.A. Richards, K.A. Moyer, and C.N. Stewart Jr. Green fluorescent protein as a marker for expression of a second gene in transgenic plants. Nature Biotechnology 17, 1125-1129 (1999).
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