Development of an efficient B. rapa transformation system to facilitate studies on fruit development in a diploid Brassica oilseed crop.

转基因技术（这里称为转化）正越来越多地被用作测试基因功能的研究工具。换句话说，可以利用植物转化来过度表达/修饰或沉默植物基因，以确定特定基因的功能。这些研究的结果不是创造转基因作物，而是更好地了解这些性状的遗传控制，以促进传统作物改良策略。例如，在英国，油菜（Brassica napus）因其种子油而广泛种植。与其他作物相比，油菜是一种相对年轻的作物，尚未完全优化有效生产（总收获指数：可收获生物量），尽管有利可图，但仍有相当大的作物改良空间。一个这样的性状是早期豆荚破碎（其中种子在收获之前和收获期间洒在田地中），这造成每年>10%的种子损失（价值约为每年6000万英镑）。更好地了解哪些基因参与早期落荚，可能会导致标记辅助育种（非转基因方法），以选择育种材料具有更大的抗落荚性。甘蓝型油菜的遗传学更加复杂，因为它是双二倍体物种，这意味着它包含两个二倍体亲本祖先B的完整基因组。芜菁（一种油料种子和蔬菜作物）和B.甘蓝（一种蔬菜作物）。因此，想要了解许多果实和油料种子性状背后的遗传控制，最好首先在B的基因组中进行探索。拉帕。在目前的建议，我们的目标是开发一个强大的和有效的转换方法在快速循环B。油菜籽作物这样的资源的可用性将是非常可取的研究社区内研究水果和油料种子性状，并最终更可取的二倍体物种的遗传研究。随着B的即将完工，该项目尤其及时。rapa基因组序列;并且与B互补。rapa TILLING（基因组中的靶向诱导局部病变）是一种“反向遗传学”资源，它是在相同的遗传背景下产生的。

GM technology (referred to here as transformation) is increasingly being exploited as a research tool for testing gene function. Put another way plant transformation can be exploited to over-express/ modify or silence plant genes in order to determine the function of a particular gene. The results of these studies are not to create GM crops, but to better understand the genetic control of these traits to facilitate conventional crop improvement strategies. For example, within the UK oilseed rape (Brassica napus) is grown widely for its seed oil. Compared to other crops, oilseed rape is a relatively young crop and one not yet fully optimized for efficient production (low harvest index of total: harvestable biomass), although profitable, there remains considerable scope for crop improvement. One such trait being early pod shatter (where seed is spilled in the field prior to, and during harvest) this accounts for >10% seed loss every year (valued at about £60 million per year). A better understanding of which genes are involved in early pod shatter, may lead to marker assisted breeding (non GM approach) to select breeding material with greater pod shatter resistance. The genetics of Brassica napus are further complicated because it is an amphidiploid species, meaning it contains the complete genome of the two diploid parental progenitors B. rapa (an oilseed and vegetable crop) and B. oleracea (a vegetable crop). The desire to understand the genetic control behind many fruit and oilseed traits is therefore best explored in the first instance in the genome of B. rapa. In the current proposal we aim to develop a robust and efficient transformation method in a rapid-cycling B. rapa oilseed crop. The availability of such a resource will be highly desirable within the research community for studying fruit and oilseed traits, and for which a diploid species is ultimately more desirable for genetic studies. The project is particularly timely with the near completion of the B. rapa genome sequence; and complementary to the B. rapa TILLING (Targeting Induced Local Lesions IN Genomes) a 'reverse genetics' resource, which has been produced in the same genetic background.