Nucleic acid base sequences will similarly be identified for other useful marine
algae going ahead. Genetic manipulation also requires the development of vectors
to transport foreign DNA into algae suited to specific purposes. Typical vectors are
viral DNA and plasmids.
The success or failure of DNA experimentation can be seen as dependent upon
whether good vectors can be found. Viruses are reported to exist for two to three
brown alga species such as Chorda, but tumor-like cell reproduction is known to be
taking place already through bacteria and fungi for 34 other varieties of seaweed.
The possibility of developing bacterial plasmids or viruses to serve as vectors for
seaweeds as they do for higher plants is raising hopes for the production of new
strains through genetic recombination technology.
As yet, no new strain of transformed seaweed has been commercialized from cell
fusion or genetic recombination. New strains of useful seaweeds are very likely to
be produced with biotechnology in the near future in countries that are heavily
dependent on them. For such new strains, it is essential to fully examine beforehand
what effect their farming in natural waters will have on the ecosystem.
6.7 Future Tasks
Protoplast production and cell fusion in seaweeds has recently become the subject
of very active research. For the sake of future development, however, research will
need to involve not simply experimentation with protoplast production and cell
fusion, but proceeding toward some target in terms of which traits to combine to
produce new forms of seaweed.
Figure 6.9 depicts the process of selecting a new strain suited to a particular
target from the hybrid seaweeds produced through separation and fusion of protoplasts from two varieties of seaweed (A and B) and direct or indirect (callus)
regeneration from the fused cells.
While the sequence is quite simple, many technical issues remain to be solved at
its individual stages, including protoplast isolation, protoplast fusion, and regeneration of fused cells. Many seaweeds have complex life cycles, and leaf bodies
have both haploid and diploid nuclear phases. Because protoplasts from haploid
seaweeds are haploid (n) and protoplasts from diploid seaweeds are diploid (2n), the
fusion combination must be considered before any cell fusion experimentation.
Another potential issue concerns whether the cytoplasm alone has fused or the
nuclei as well; determining whether these have fused or not is not a simple matter.
In seaweed cell fusion, the goal must be clear, and knowledge of the seaweed’s
genes is necessary for advancement to occur. At present, however, knowledge of
seaweed genes is scant, and basic research in this field is an area that will require
development in the future.
Recent years have seen advancements in genetic manipulation technology, most
notably in research areas involving microbes. This has led to the first consideration
of genetic manipulation for breeding of higher plants. Many issues remain to be
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6 Seaweed Biotechnology
algae going ahead. Genetic manipulation also requires the development of vectors
to transport foreign DNA into algae suited to specific purposes. Typical vectors are
viral DNA and plasmids.
The success or failure of DNA experimentation can be seen as dependent upon
whether good vectors can be found. Viruses are reported to exist for two to three
brown alga species such as Chorda, but tumor-like cell reproduction is known to be
taking place already through bacteria and fungi for 34 other varieties of seaweed.
The possibility of developing bacterial plasmids or viruses to serve as vectors for
seaweeds as they do for higher plants is raising hopes for the production of new
strains through genetic recombination technology.
As yet, no new strain of transformed seaweed has been commercialized from cell
fusion or genetic recombination. New strains of useful seaweeds are very likely to
be produced with biotechnology in the near future in countries that are heavily
dependent on them. For such new strains, it is essential to fully examine beforehand
what effect their farming in natural waters will have on the ecosystem.
6.7 Future Tasks
Protoplast production and cell fusion in seaweeds has recently become the subject
of very active research. For the sake of future development, however, research will
need to involve not simply experimentation with protoplast production and cell
fusion, but proceeding toward some target in terms of which traits to combine to
produce new forms of seaweed.
Figure 6.9 depicts the process of selecting a new strain suited to a particular
target from the hybrid seaweeds produced through separation and fusion of protoplasts from two varieties of seaweed (A and B) and direct or indirect (callus)
regeneration from the fused cells.
While the sequence is quite simple, many technical issues remain to be solved at
its individual stages, including protoplast isolation, protoplast fusion, and regeneration of fused cells. Many seaweeds have complex life cycles, and leaf bodies
have both haploid and diploid nuclear phases. Because protoplasts from haploid
seaweeds are haploid (n) and protoplasts from diploid seaweeds are diploid (2n), the
fusion combination must be considered before any cell fusion experimentation.
Another potential issue concerns whether the cytoplasm alone has fused or the
nuclei as well; determining whether these have fused or not is not a simple matter.
In seaweed cell fusion, the goal must be clear, and knowledge of the seaweed’s
genes is necessary for advancement to occur. At present, however, knowledge of
seaweed genes is scant, and basic research in this field is an area that will require
development in the future.
Recent years have seen advancements in genetic manipulation technology, most
notably in research areas involving microbes. This has led to the first consideration
of genetic manipulation for breeding of higher plants. Many issues remain to be
164
6 Seaweed Biotechnology