Team:Cambridge-JIC/Background on Byrophytes

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<h3> Intro to Byrophytes and how to get in their clang</h3>
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<h3> Intro to Bryophytes and how to get in their clang</h3>
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Primitive plants are everywhere and together are called Byrophytes. Byrophytes are divided into three lineages. In evolutionary order these are:
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Primitive plants are everywhere and together are called Bryophytes. Bryophytes are divided into three lineages. In evolutionary order these are:
<ul>
<ul>
<li>Marchantiaphyta or Liverworts (that's Poly!)</li>
<li>Marchantiaphyta or Liverworts (that's Poly!)</li>
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<li>then came Mosses (byrophyta)</li>
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<li>then came Mosses (bryophyta)</li>
<li>and finally the newer Hornworts or Anthocerotophyta.</li>
<li>and finally the newer Hornworts or Anthocerotophyta.</li>
<li>then came all the rest.</li>
<li>then came all the rest.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
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<h4>What makes Byrophytes special: Role-Reversal Plants and Nature's strange ways  </h4>
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<h4>What makes Bryophytes special: Role-Reversal Plants and Nature's strange ways  </h4>
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Byrophytes are united by unique features. These include:
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Bryophytes are united by unique features. These include:
<ul>
<ul>
<li>Sexual reproduction by spores - a fine line between bacteria, yeast and these plants</li>
<li>Sexual reproduction by spores - a fine line between bacteria, yeast and these plants</li>
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</ul>
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<p> Byrophytes are indeed often referred to as 'Up-Side-Down' or 'Role-Reversal' plants. Their life cycle is the opposite of most: We and other organisms spend our life as diploids: two sets of chromosomes, one from Dad, one from Mother. We specialize a set of cells in our reproductive organs which undergo meiosis (splitting of cells to form 2 cells with 1 copy of each gene), forming a haploid egg or sperm. When the sperm and the egg come together, they form a haploid organism which grows. And the cycle starts again.</p>
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<p> bryophytes are indeed often referred to as 'Up-Side-Down' or 'Role-Reversal' plants. Their life cycle is the opposite of most: We and other organisms spend our life as diploids: two sets of chromosomes, one from Dad, one from Mother. We specialize a set of cells in our reproductive organs which undergo meiosis (splitting of cells to form 2 cells with 1 copy of each gene), forming a haploid egg or sperm. When the sperm and the egg come together, they form a haploid organism which grows. And the cycle starts again.</p>
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<p> Byrophytes live most of their life as haploids (only have one copy of their genes!). A set of cells differentiate to become the ova and the sperm. When the haploid sperm reaches the haploid ova, they fuse, become diploid for a short time, and then undergo meiosis (split genome) to form two haploid plants! Intrigued by this oddity? Go to 'Marchantia's Life Cycle' to find out more.</p>
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<p> bryophytes live most of their life as haploids (only have one copy of their genes!). A set of cells differentiate to become the ova and the sperm. When the haploid sperm reaches the haploid ova, they fuse, become diploid for a short time, and then undergo meiosis (split genome) to form two haploid plants! Intrigued by this oddity? Go to 'Marchantia's Life Cycle' to find out more.</p>
<p>But let's not underestimate them...</p>
<p>But let's not underestimate them...</p>
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The reproductive organs can be stimulated to appear by exposure to infra-red light!  
The reproductive organs can be stimulated to appear by exposure to infra-red light!  
</p>
</p>
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<h1> The new Mar-vellous Chassis </h1>
 
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<h3>OpenPlant</h3>
 
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<p>Synthetic Biology conferences used to be like vegetable gardens (or zoos), with every researcher working on different organisms: a longer courgette here, a sweeter tomato there. Great to make some tasty dishes but a real halt for science. The animal field concentrated their forces from dogs and cats to Drosophila fly and the C.elegant worm, and the green handed people went for Arabidopsis or Tabacco. Focusing on these few and simple organisms allowed science, techniques to be shared and developed by a community and core concepts, true for any higher organisms, emanated from this thrust.</p>
 
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<p>Arabidopsis, is a great plant however some of its disadvantages, long life cycle, height, complex development is refraining progress. A wave is now building up as we speak behind Marchantia to develop it as the new tool for Synthetic Biologists and Plant Scientists. _ Watch this space_ (or even better: read on!)</p>
 
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<h4>The Beauty of Simplicity: Advantages of Marchy </h4>
 
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<h3>Why Marchantia as the new plant chassis? </h3>
 
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<p>For any system to be adopted and developed and made better it needs to be: simple, accessible and better than any previous system. Marchantia Polymorpha is just this.</p>
 
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<ul>
 
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<li>Ancestor to all plants, she illustrates them all.Her simple basic genome is more malleable</li>
 
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<li>Small in size makes for easy mass culture</li>
 
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<li>Rapid growth and germination reduces drastically the time of experiments (a big down fall of Arabodopsis)</li>
 
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<li>Easy transformability with Agorobacteria and possibility of electroporating the spores!</li>
 
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<li>Dioecious. Sexual reproduction allows for crossing of two strains of plants. Or if you want to keep an isogenic line, you can propagate her asexually.</li>
 
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<li>Easy long term storage of spores that requires no maintenance!</li>
 
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<li>Open Community Established</li>
 
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</ul>
 
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<h4>Collaborators and future for iGEM</h4>
 
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<p>The Welcome Trust has recently given a huge push to the Marchantia Lovers. And these are sprouting from everywhere.
 
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For future iGEM groups who'd like to join this Marchantia Community, here are some of the people who are already in the stream (and would love to here from you!)</p>
 
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For advice, plant strains to get started or just some info, contact:
 
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<ul>
 
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<li>Us!</li>
 
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<li>The Haseloff group in Cambridge- (home of the OpenPlant)</li>
 
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<li>Tokyo</li>
 
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<li>MIT</li>
 
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<li>JIC</li>
 
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<li>UEA??</li>
 
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<li>Online Community!</li>
 
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</ul>
 
<h1> Marky Fun Facts & Trivia </h1>
<h1> Marky Fun Facts & Trivia </h1>

Latest revision as of 17:44, 20 August 2014