Developing a stable genetic transformation system for Ulva.

石榴属的绿色生菜既具有生态价值，也具有工业价值。某些物种与沿海环境中的快速繁殖有关，形成了具有生态破坏性的绿潮。由于这种快速的增长速度，它们也引起了工业上的兴趣，因为可以迅速获得高水平的生物质。因此，Ulva在生物燃料生产和作为水产养殖的食物来源方面具有重要意义。为了进一步开发Ulva，需要更好地了解它们的细胞生物学和生命周期。因此，需要一种分子方法来了解感兴趣基因的功能。变种石榴的基因组最近被公布，这将为功能基因组研究的设计提供宝贵的信息。这一研究项目的目标是在乌尔瓦建立一个稳定的转化系统，因为转基因海藻的尝试远远落后于植物生物技术。

Green sea lettuce of the genus Ulva are of both ecological and industrial interest. Certain species are associated with rapid proliferation in coastal environments, forming of ecologically devastating green tides. Due to this rapid growth rate they are also of industrial interest, as high levels of biomass can be obtained rapidly. As such, Ulva is of interest for biofuel production and as a food source in aquaculture. For further exploitation of Ulva a greater understanding of their cell biology and life cycle is required. Therefore a molecular approach is required, to understand the function of genes of interest. The genome of Ulva mutabilis has recently been published, which will provide invaluable information for the design of functional genomic studies. This research project will aim to establish a stable transformation system in Ulva, as attempts to genetically modify seaweed significantly lag behind those in plant biotechnology.