Plant DNA Infectious Agents
Plant DNA Infectious Agents

Author: Thomas Hohn

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 355

ISBN-13: 3709169771

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There has been recent rapid progress in the transformation of plants with foreign DNA, making use either of the natural routes of genetic invasion that viruses and bacteria have developed, or of chemical, mechanical and electrical tricks to make plant protoplast membranes permeable to nucleic acids. Genes integrated into plant virus genomes can be carried systemi cally from the initial site of infection into the rest of the plant. Genes placed between the borders of Agrobacterium tumefaciens T-DNA can be transferred into single cells or plant tissue, which then divides to produce wound calli, or as in the case of an Agrobacterium rhizogenes infection, grow out into new roots. Calli and roots can be grown into whole plants. If virus genomes are placed between the T-DNA borders, a very effective infectious route, termed "agroinfection", is established. Once inside a pro toplast, DNA finds its way into the nucleus where it can finally integrate into the resident chromosome and be expressed. Whether it can also find its way into chloroplasts is not yet clear, but at least translation products can be targeted into this organelle. Regeneration of whole organisms from single cells is a special feature of plants and offers a unique tool to study genes in a multicellular organism. In addition, as in animal cells, transcription and translation of trans forming genes can be studied in plant cells during "transient expression".

Biosafety in the Laboratory
Biosafety in the Laboratory

Author: Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 1989-01-01

Total Pages: 237

ISBN-13: 0309039754

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Biosafety in the Laboratory is a concise set of practical guidelines for handling and disposing of biohazardous material. The consensus of top experts in laboratory safety, this volume provides the information needed for immediate improvement of safety practices. It discusses high- and low-risk biological agents (including the highest-risk materials handled in labs today), presents the "seven basic rules of biosafety," addresses special issues such as the shipping of dangerous materials, covers waste disposal in detail, offers a checklist for administering laboratory safetyâ€"and more.

Responsible Research with Biological Select Agents and Toxins
Responsible Research with Biological Select Agents and Toxins

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2010-02-12

Total Pages: 188

ISBN-13: 030914535X

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The effort to understand and combat infectious diseases has, during the centuries, produced many key advances in science and medicine-including the development of vaccines, drugs, and other treatments. A subset of this research is conducted with agents that, like anthrax, not only pose a severe threat to the health of humans, plants, and animals but can also be used for ill-intended purposes. Such agents have been listed by the government as biological select agents and toxins. The 2001 anthrax letter attacks prompted the creation of new regulations aimed at increasing security for research with dangerous pathogens. The outcome of the anthrax letter investigation has raised concern about whether these measures are adequate. Responsible Research with Biological Select Agents and Toxins evaluates both the physical security of select agent laboratories and personnel reliability measures designed to ensure the trustworthiness of those with access to biological select agents and toxins. The book offers a set of guiding principles and recommended changes to minimize security risk and facilitate the productivity of research. The book recommends fostering a culture of trust and responsibility in the laboratory, engaging the community in oversight of the Select Agent Program, and enhancing the operation of the Select Agent Program.

The Epstein-Barr Virus
The Epstein-Barr Virus

Author: M. A. Epstein

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 467

ISBN-13: 3642672361

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The Epstein-Barr virus was discovered 15 years ago. Since that time an immense body of information has been accumu lated on this agent which has come to assume great signifi cance in many different fields of biological science. Thus, the virus has very special relevance in human medicine and oncology, in tumor virology, in immunology, and in mole cular virology, since it is the cause of infectious mononu cleosis and also the first human cancer virus, etiologically related to endemic Burkitt's lymphoma and probably to nasopharyngeal carcinoma. In addition, continuous human lymphoid cell lines initiated and maintained by the transform ing function of the virus genome provide a laboratory tool with wide and ever-growing applications. Innumerable papers on the Epstein-Barr virus have ap peared over recent years and reports of work with this agent now constitute a veritable flood. The present book provides the first and only comprehensive, authoritative over-view of all aspects of the virus by authors who have been the original and major contributors in their particular disciplines. A complete and up-to-date survey of this unique and important agent is thus provided which should be of great interest to experts, teachers, and students engaged in cancer research, virology, immunology, molecular biology, epide miology, and cell culture. Where topics have been dealt with from more than one of these viewpoints, some inevitable overlap and duplication has resulted; although this has been kept to a minimum, it has been retained in some places because of positive usefulness.