O Huanglongbing (HLB) é uma das doenças mais ameaçadoras para citricultura mundial e, até o momento, não foi encontrada resistência na base genética do gênero Citrus. A doença é causada pela bactéria Candidatus Liberibacter spp., endêmica de floema. Portanto, na busca por uma planta transgênica resistente ao HLB é desejável avaliar construções gênicas em que o gene de interesse se expresse preferencialmente na região em que a bactéria coloniza a planta, ou seja, no floema. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi a obtenção de plantas transgênicas via Agrobacterium tumefaciens, de citrange Carrizo [Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf. x Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck] e de laranja doce [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck] cultivares Hamlin, Valência e Pêra, contendo o gene uidA (GUS) sob o controle dos promotores Citrus pholem protein 2 (CsPhP2), Arabidopsis thaliana pholem protein 2 (AtPhP2) e Arabidopsis thaliana sucrose transporter 2 (AtSuT2), para verificar se esses promotores regulam a expressão do gene repórter na região do floema. Foram utilizados segmentos de epicótilo de plântulas germinadas in vitro e como agente de seleção de regeneração de plantas transgênicas foi utilizado o gene nptII, que confere resistência ao antibiótico canamicina. Dos brotos regenerados foi coletada uma amostra de material para a realização do ensaio histoquímico com X-GLUC. Os brotos que formaram coloração azulada confirmaram a integração do transgene, sendo esses enxertados em porta enxertos previamente germinados e estiolados in vitro. A partir do número de explantes introduzidos, número explantes responsivos, número de brotos regenerados e número de brotos regenerados GUS positivos calculou-se a eficiência de transformação genética dos experimentos. Para a confirmação da transformação genética de laranja Hamlin foram realizadas análises de PCR e Southern blot de três plantas GUS positivas aclimatizadas. Também foram feitos cortes histológicos manuais para melhor visualização da reação histoquímica de GUS das plantas de laranja Hamlin Southern blot positivas. Todos os experimentos de transformação regeneraram pelo menos um broto GUS positivo. As plantas de laranja Hamlin analisadas por PCR e Southern blot analisadas foram confirmadas como transformadas com uma inserção do transgene. Plantas nas quais foram realizados cortes histológicos indicaram expressão diferencial das construções gênicas no floema. / Huanglongbing (HLB) is one of the most threatening diseases to worldwide citriculture and till the present moment, no resistance has been found in citrus genetic basis. This disease has Candidatus Liberibacter spp. as the pathogenic agent, an endemic phloem bacterium. Therefore, in the search for a transgenic plant resistant to HLB, it is desirable to evaluate constructions in which the gene of interest is expressed, preferentially, in tissues where the bacteria grow, i.e., in the phloem. Therefore, this work aimed to obtain transgenic plants of Carrizo citrange [Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf. x Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck], and of Hamlin, Valencia, and Pera sweet oranges [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck], via Agrobacterium tumefaciens, containing uidA (GUS) gene, controlled by the promoters Citrus pholem protein 2 (CsPhP2), Arabidopsis thaliana pholem protein 2 (AtPhP2) and Arabidopsis thaliana sucrose transporter 2 (AtSuT2), in order to check if these promoters drive the reporter gene expression in the phloem. For the transformation, in vitro germinated seedlings epicotil segments were used. The gene nptII, which confers resistance to the antibiotic kanamycin, was used as the selective system. From the regenerated shoots, a tissue sample was collected to perform the X-GLUC histochemical analysis. The regenerated shoots colored in blue were considered transgenic, and these were grafted on in vitro grown rootstocks. The transformation efficiency of each experiment was calculated based on the number of introduced explants, responsive explants, number of regenerated shoots, and number of GUS positive regenerated shoots. In order to confirm the genetic transformation of Hamlin sweet orange, PCR and Southern blot analyses of three positive GUS acclimatized plants were performed. Anatomic slices for better visualization of blue color formed by GUS reaction were also made. All transformation experiments regenerated at least one GUS positive shoot. Plants of Hamlin sweet orange analyzed by PCR and Southern blot are transformed and have one transgene insertion. Anatomical analyses indicated preferential expression of the transgenes in the phloem.

O Huanglongbing (HLB) é uma das doenças mais ameaçadoras para citricultura mundial e, até o momento, não foi encontrada resistência na base genética do gênero Citrus. A doença é causada pela bactéria Candidatus Liberibacter spp., endêmica de floema. Portanto, na busca por uma planta transgênica resistente ao HLB é desejável avaliar construções gênicas em que o gene de interesse se expresse preferencialmente na região em que a bactéria coloniza a planta, ou seja, no floema. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi a obtenção de plantas transgênicas via Agrobacterium tumefaciens, de citrange Carrizo [Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf. x Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck] e de laranja doce [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck] cultivares Hamlin, Valência e Pêra, contendo o gene uidA (GUS) sob o controle dos promotores Citrus pholem protein 2 (CsPhP2), Arabidopsis thaliana pholem protein 2 (AtPhP2) e Arabidopsis thaliana sucrose transporter 2 (AtSuT2), para verificar se esses promotores regulam a expressão do gene repórter na região do floema. Foram utilizados segmentos de epicótilo de plântulas germinadas in vitro e como agente de seleção de regeneração de plantas transgênicas foi utilizado o gene nptII, que confere resistência ao antibiótico canamicina. Dos brotos regenerados foi coletada uma amostra de material para a realização do ensaio histoquímico com X-GLUC. Os brotos que formaram coloração azulada confirmaram a integração do transgene, sendo esses enxertados em porta enxertos previamente germinados e estiolados in vitro. A partir do número de explantes introduzidos, número explantes responsivos, número de brotos regenerados e número de brotos regenerados GUS positivos calculou-se a eficiência de transformação genética dos experimentos. Para a confirmação da transformação genética de laranja Hamlin foram realizadas análises de PCR e Southern blot de três plantas GUS positivas aclimatizadas. Também foram feitos cortes histológicos manuais para melhor visualização da reação histoquímica de GUS das plantas de laranja Hamlin Southern blot positivas. Todos os experimentos de transformação regeneraram pelo menos um broto GUS positivo. As plantas de laranja Hamlin analisadas por PCR e Southern blot analisadas foram confirmadas como transformadas com uma inserção do transgene. Plantas nas quais foram realizados cortes histológicos indicaram expressão diferencial das construções gênicas no floema. / Huanglongbing (HLB) is one of the most threatening diseases to worldwide citriculture and till the present moment, no resistance has been found in citrus genetic basis. This disease has Candidatus Liberibacter spp. as the pathogenic agent, an endemic phloem bacterium. Therefore, in the search for a transgenic plant resistant to HLB, it is desirable to evaluate constructions in which the gene of interest is expressed, preferentially, in tissues where the bacteria grow, i.e., in the phloem. Therefore, this work aimed to obtain transgenic plants of Carrizo citrange [Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf. x Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck], and of Hamlin, Valencia, and Pera sweet oranges [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck], via Agrobacterium tumefaciens, containing uidA (GUS) gene, controlled by the promoters Citrus pholem protein 2 (CsPhP2), Arabidopsis thaliana pholem protein 2 (AtPhP2) and Arabidopsis thaliana sucrose transporter 2 (AtSuT2), in order to check if these promoters drive the reporter gene expression in the phloem. For the transformation, in vitro germinated seedlings epicotil segments were used. The gene nptII, which confers resistance to the antibiotic kanamycin, was used as the selective system. From the regenerated shoots, a tissue sample was collected to perform the X-GLUC histochemical analysis. The regenerated shoots colored in blue were considered transgenic, and these were grafted on in vitro grown rootstocks. The transformation efficiency of each experiment was calculated based on the number of introduced explants, responsive explants, number of regenerated shoots, and number of GUS positive regenerated shoots. In order to confirm the genetic transformation of Hamlin sweet orange, PCR and Southern blot analyses of three positive GUS acclimatized plants were performed. Anatomic slices for better visualization of blue color formed by GUS reaction were also made. All transformation experiments regenerated at least one GUS positive shoot. Plants of Hamlin sweet orange analyzed by PCR and Southern blot are transformed and have one transgene insertion. Anatomical analyses indicated preferential expression of the transgenes in the phloem.

Epoxy fatty acids (EXA) are valuable to industry as they are used in synthesizing plasticizers such as of poly vinyl chloride, resins, adhesives, coating materials such as paint, lubricant, lubricant additives, insecticides, insect repellants, crop oil concentrates and formulations of carriers for slow release pesticides and herbicides. There is interest in developing commercial oilseeds accumulating epoxy fatty acids to at least 50% of the seed oil. Soybeans are the most widely cultivated oilseed and its oil has high levels of linoleic acid which can be a substrate for epoxygenase enzymes. Cahoon et al., expressed a cytochrome P450 enzyme (CYP726A1) from Euphorbia lagascae in soybean somatic embryos and found that the epoxy fatty acid, vernolic acid, reached ~8% of the total fatty acids in transgenic somatic embryos. Rabbit Livers possess a cytochrome P450, CYP2C2, which catalyzes the same epoxidation reaction as the E. lagascae enzyme but might be less likely to be influenced by regulatory machinery in plant cells. This CYP2C2 gene was placed in a plant expression vector under a seed-specific promoter and used to transform soybean, Glycine max, somatic embryos. The ten putative transgenic clones observed after 4-5 weeks were separated and proliferated under selection. glucuronidase (GUS) assays and PCR analyses performed on selected clones were positive. However vernolic acid in total lipids and specific lipid classes was not detected as analyzed by GC. In vitro enzyme assay performed on microsomes isolated from mature somatic embryos at three weeks of maturation using [14C] 18:2 PC as substrate showed presence of [14C] methyl vernoleate. Preliminary analyses on toxicity of epoxy fatty acids and corresponding diols in bacteria, yeast and caco-2 cells showed that leukotoxin diol (LD) most toxic.

Modifying substrate specificity of β-glucuronidase (GUS) would be helpful in various enzyme prodrug systems in delivering drug dose to the site of action in the cancer treatment. Due to the presence of endogenous enzyme in human tissues, GUS-based Antibody-Directed Enzyme Prodrug Therapy (ADEPT) requires a novel substrate to avoid undesirable systemic activation. GUS is a glycosyl hydrolase, highly specific towards the glucuronide derivatives. It catalyzes the glycosidic cleavage of β-D-glucuronides to β-D-glucuronic acid and aglycone moiety. In order to gain insight on the substrate specificity of GUS, C6 carboxyl group of glucuronic acid was modified to C6 carboxamide (amide derivative). We have examined amide derivatized substrates with a variety of different aglycone groups including p-nitrophenyl, phenyl and 4-methylumbelliferone to further probe the activity profile of GUS. In an effort to optimize GUS activity, docking studies have been performed which indicated that amino acid point mutations near C6 carboxyl group of glucuronic acid could improve binding of the derivatized substrates. As a result point mutations to Arg-562 and Lys-568 which make the active site less positively charged either by glutamine or glutamate lead to an enzyme with much lower native substrate activity but abolished activity for the amide-derivatized substrate. This research study showed that there is still a further need of finding appropriate mutations required to make glucuronamide a better substrate for the mutated version of GUS.

No description available.

As a warm season grass native to the North American continent, switchgrass is considered as one of the most promising biofuel crops in the USA. It is a C4 plant that makes it energy efficient. Switchgrass has a deep root system that allows it to grow on marginal land with low water and nutrient input. Switchgrass has been used as a forage crop and its use for biofuel will not affect food security. Biofuels are more environment-friendly than fossil fuels as they do not produce net greenhouse gases. However, the problem of high cost of production per unit for biofuel has to be overcome if we want to replace fossil fuels with biofuels. One of the major factors related to the high cost of biofuel are the expensive cellulase enzymes used in the pretreatment of feedstock. Endoglucanase is the key enzyme used for breaking down cellulose before fermentation. Currently, endoglucanase is produced from engineered E. coli or yeast strains, which is still expensive for enzyme production and purification of industrial scales. Expression of endoglucanase in plants has been previously reported. However, there are no reports of transgenic switchgrass producing cellulase enzyme. In this study, the catalytic domain of beta-endoglucanase gene was codon-optimized and synthesized based on the cDNA cloned from Hypocrea jecorina. Rice RuBisCO small subunit targeting signal peptide was fused to the N-terminus of the beta-endoglucanase gene, which was expected to target the fusion protein to chloroplast. This subcellular compartment targeting could minimize negative effects on cell function and plant development. The endoglucanase gene was cloned with maize ubiquitin promoter in a modified binary vector pCambia 1305-2 and transformed into switchgrass genotype HR8 by using Agrobacterium tumefaciens. In this study, I generated five independent transgenic switchgrass lines and they were confirmed by growing on the selection agent hygromycin, GUS assay, PCR amplification, southern blotting hybridization, for the presence of hygromycin and endoglucanase genes. However, based on RT-PCR analysis, only two transgenic lines were confirmed to produce mRNAs of the endoglucanase gene. These two transgenic lines were further characterized for their agronomic traits and the chlorophyll contents. Our results suggested that expression of endoglucanase in switchgrass could reduce chlorophyll content and affect plant development. Nevertheless, in this study, we demonstrated that a fungal endoglucanase gene could be expressed in switchgrass transgenic plants, though the gene expression level and the subcellular localization need to be carefully regulated in order to minimize the toxic effect of endoglucanase on plant cells. / Master of Science

Le travail présenté porte sur le développement d’une nouvelle technologie innovante, nommée PAT Friday®, visant à produire des protéines recombinantes au sein des sécrétions extracellulaires de plantes carnivores génétiquement modifiées. Deux objectifs ont été fixés : Réaliser la preuve de concept de la technologie sur le modèle expérimental Drosera rotundifolia, en transformant la plante avec des gènes marqueurs et humains afin de mettre en évidence la présence des protéines recombinantes dans la glu ; et développer, après évaluation, la technologie sur un modèle potentiellement industrialisable, Nepenthes alata. Les résultats ont indiqué la présence des deux protéines marqueurs GFP et GUS dans les tissus et dans la glu de Drosera rotundifolia transformées. Les plantes ont également été transformées génétiquement avec les gènes humains de l’interféron gamma et du facteur intrinsèque. Les protéines recombinantes humaines ont été mises en évidence au sein des tissus végétaux. Le potentiel industriel du modèle Nepenthes alata a ensuite été étudié : 10 à 15 kg de protéines totales par hectare et par an peuvent être produits, grâce notamment à des récoltes successives non destructrices, et la possibilité de contrôler l’activité des protéases digestives naturelles. L’élaboration d’un protocole de régénération de la plante a été entreprise par embryogénèse somatique et organogénèse indirecte, en vue de sa transformation génétique. La technologie PAT Friday®, avec des étapes simplifiées d’extraction et de purification des protéines d’intérêt produites dans le liquide digestif, offre de nouvelles perspectives dans le domaine des protéines thérapeutiques produites à partir de plantes / The present work focuses on the development of a new innovating technology, called PAT Friday®, aiming at producing recombinant proteins into the extra-foliar fluid of modified carnivorous plants. Two objectives were assigned to this work : 1- to realize a proof of concept of the technology on the experimental model Drosera rotundifolia, transformed with marker and human genes, to confirm the occurence of the recombinant proteins into glu ; and 2 - to evaluate and develop, the technology on the model Nepenthes alata, more adapted to industrial scaling-up. The results indicate the presence of two marker proteins GUS and GFP inside the tissues and into the glu of modified Drosera rotundifolia plants. The same plant species has also been transformed with human gamma interferon and intrinsic factor genes. The corresponding human recombinant proteins have been detected into the plant tissues. Potential industrial scaling-up has been studied with the species Nepenthes alata. The results show a potential productivity of 10 to 15 kg of total proteins per hectare per year, thanks to non-destructive repeated harvests, and possibility to efficiently control the natural proteinase activity. The elaboration of a regeneration protocol has been undertaken through indirect organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis, with a view to transform genetically this plant. PAT Friday® technology, with simplified extraction and purification methods of the proteins of interest targeted into the liquid secretions, opens new perspectives in the field of therapeutical proteins produced in plants

No description available.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Colorectal cancer is the third most common type of cancer and the third most common cause of cancer-related mortality. There are three types of treatment available to patients, either individually or in combination. Treatments are radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery. In a Phase II clinical trial at IUSM, a multimodality approach was chosen. The patients with locally advanced rectal cancer received preoperative treatment with capecitabine and irinotecan (CPT-11) combination followed by chemoradiation with capecitabine and finally surgery to improve response and decrease local recurrence. Irinotecan and Capecitabine are both prodrugs activated in vivo to SN-38 and 5-FU, respectively. Identification of the molecular markers for 5-FU and Irinotecan efficacy and toxicity is important for the development of more efficient and less toxic treatment strategies for patients with colorectal cancer. The goal of this study was to determine the expression levels of the genes involved in activation and metabolism of capecitabine and irinotecan in pre and post treatment specimens from these patients. The genes quantitated by real-time PCR were carboxylesterase 1 and 2 (CES1 and CES2), thymidylate synthase (TS), β-glucoronidase (β-GUS), thymidine phosphorylase (TP), dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) and topoisomerase I (Topo I). The UGT1A1*28 polymorphism in UDP glucuronosyltransferase 1 is associated with SN-38 toxicity. Therefore, the UGT1A1*28 polymorphism status in patients was determined by PCR-sequencing. Correlative analysis of gene expression and UGT1A1*28 mutation with clinical outcome in this Phase II study was completed.

Tesis por compendio / [EN] Cannabis sativa L. (Cannabaceae) is an angiosperm, allogamous and dicotyledonous species that includes short and neutral-day varieties with dioecious specimens (males and females), and monoecious plants. Among its many applications, its industrial and medicinal uses stand out. Despite the fact that cannabis has been used by humans since ancient times and the growing interest that the C. sativa therapeutic properties have aroused in researchers around the world, the psychoactivity of some of its varieties, derived from its ¿9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content, has motivated the prohibition of its cultivation for almost sixty years. The strict control to which cannabis has been subjected has prevented professionals from all over the world from carrying out genetic breeding programs for this species, which has resulted in the absence of uniform varieties. In this Doctoral Thesis, different biotechnological tools for cannabis genetic improvement have been developed. In the first place, given the lack of reproducibility of some cannabis plant in vitro regeneration protocols and the great influence that the genotype exerts on their effectiveness, plant in vitro regeneration competence of different explants was evaluated. As a result, an hormone-free protocol from C. sativa hypocotyls that presents high regeneration rates (ranging from 32.26% to 71.15%) in all the genotypes evaluated, also presenting a 17.94% of spontaneous rooting rate of regenerants has been developed. At the same time, the polysomatic pattern of different cannabis explants has been studied, and it has been possible to regenerate, from them, a significant percentage of mixoploid specimens (17.65% from cotyledons and 13.33% from hypocotyls) that, as described in the existing literature, could show a greater capacity for cannabinoid synthesis. On the other hand, given the absence of scientific publications in this regard, and the potential that this technique presents to alleviate the intrinsic variability of this species, the most in-depth study to date on the male floral biology of C. sativa has been developed. Up to 476,903 microspores and pollen grains per male flower, with in vivo microspore viability rates from 53.71 to 70.88% have been found. Furthermore, all stages of development of the microgametophyte have been correlated with an easily measurable floral morphological marker such as the bud length, identifying bud length intervals containing mostly vacuolate microspores and young bi-cellular pollen grains in all the phenotypes evaluated. In this way, and although the starch presence in C. sativa microspores and pollen grains follows a similar pattern to that observed in species recalcitrant to androgenesis, it has been possible to address the induction of microspore embryogenesis in this species, obtaining for the first time microspore-derived multicellular structures after one week long cold-shock bud pretreatment. Finally, as a prerequisite for the genetic editing of C. sativa by using the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/Cas systems, and taking advantage of the in vitro plant regeneration protocol which resulted from this Doctoral Thesis, it has been possible to develop for the first time a protocol for the production of stably transformed cannabis plants, which represents a historical milestone in the genetic improvement of the species. After co-culture with A. tumefaciens and subsequent culture in antibiotic-containing selective regeneration medium, hypocotyls achieved 23.1% and 5.0% of regeneration and transformation rates respectively. As a whole, the present Doctoral Thesis provides a range of biotechnological tools that will allow the development of a new generation of high-yield cannabis varieties with uniform traits, resistant to multiple biotic and abiotic stresses, and therefore being suitable for both industrial and medicinal use. / [ES] Cannabis sativa L. (Cannabaceae) es una especie angiosperma, alógama y dicotiledónea compuesta por variedades de día corto y día neutro que presentan ejemplares dioicos (machos y hembras), y plantas monoicas. Entre sus múltiples aplicaciones destacan tanto su uso industrial como su uso medicinal. A pesar de que el cannabis ha sido empleado por el ser humano desde tiempos ancestrales, la psicoactividad que presentan algunas de sus variedades, derivada de su contenido en ¿ 9 -tetrahidrocannabinol (THC), ha motivado la prohibición de su cultivo durante casi sesenta años. La estricta fiscalización a la que ha sido sometido el cannabis, ha impedido llevar a cabo programas de mejora genética de esta especie, lo que se ha traducido en la ausencia de variedades uniformes. En esta Tesis Doctoral se han desarrollado diferentes herramientas biotecnológicas para la mejora genética del cannabis. En primer lugar, dada la falta de reproducibilidad de algunos protocolos de cultivo in vitro de cannabis y la gran influencia que el genotipo ejerce en la efectividad de los mismos, se evaluó la capacidad de regeneración in vitro de diferentes explantes. Como resultado, se ha desarrollado un protocolo libre de hormonas a partir de hipocótilos de C. sativa que presenta altas tasas de regeneración (las cuales oscilan del 32,26% al 71,15%) en todos los genotipos evaluados, presentando además un 17,94% de tasa de enraizado espontáneo de los regenerantes. A su vez, se ha estudiado el patrón polisomático de diferentes explantes de cannabis y se ha conseguido regenerar, a partir de los mismos, un porcentaje significativo de ejemplares mixoploides (17,65% procedentes de cotiledones y 13,33% de hipocotilos) que, tal y como describe la bibliografía existente, podrían mostrar una mayor capacidad de síntesis de cannabinoides. Por otro lado, dada la ausencia de publicaciones científicas al respecto y el potencial que esta técnica presenta para paliar la variabilidad intrínseca de esta especie, se ha desarrollado el estudio más profundo hasta la fecha relativo a la biología floral masculina de C. sativa. Se han descrito hasta 476.903 microsporas y granos de polen por flor masculina, con tasas de viabilidad in vivo de las microsporas del 53,71 al 70,88%. Además, se han correlacionado todas las etapas de desarrollo del microgametofito con la longitud de la yema, identificando intervalos de longitud de yema que contienen mayoritariamente microsporas vacuoladas y granos de polen joven bicelular en todos los fenotipos evaluados. De este modo, y aunque la presencia de almidón en las microsporas y granos de polen de C. sativa sigue un patrón similar al observado en especies recalcitrantes a la androgénesis, ha sido posible abordar la inducción de la embriogénesis de microsporas en esta especie, consiguiendo producir por primera vez estructuras multicelulares derivadas de las microsporas tras aplicar sobre las yemas un pretratamiento de frío de una semana de duración. Finalmente, como requisito previo para la edición genética de C. sativa mediante los sistemas CRISPR/Cas, y haciendo uso del protocolo de regeneración in vitro de plantas surgido de la presente Tesis Doctoral, se ha conseguido desarrollar por primera vez un protocolo para producir plantas de cannabis transformadas genéticamente de forma estable, lo que supone un hito histórico en la mejora genética de la especie. Después del cocultivo con A. tumefaciens y el posterior cultivo en medio de regeneración selectiva con antibióticos, los hipocótilos lograron respectivamente un 23,1% y un 5,0% de tasas de regeneración y transformación. En su conjunto, la presente Tesis Doctoral proporciona un abanico de herramientas biotecnológicas que permitirán el desarrollo de una nueva generación de variedades de cannabis de alto rendimiento, que presenten caracteres homogéneos, resistentes a múltiples estreses tanto bióticos como abióticos, y siendo así aptas tanto para un uso industrial como medicinal. / [CAT] Cannabis sativa L. (Cannabaceae) és una espècie angiosperma, alógama i dicotiledònia composta per varietats de dia curt i dia neutre que presenten exemplars dioics (mascles i femelles), i plantes monoiques. Entre les seues múltiples aplicacions destaquen tant el seu ús industrial com el seu ús medicinal. Tot i que el cànnabis ha sigut emprat per l'ésser humà des de temps ancestrals, la psicoactivitat que presenten algunes de les seues varietats, derivada del seu contingut en ¿9-tetrahidrocannabinol (THC), ha motivat la prohibició del seu cultiu durant gairebé seixanta anys. L'estricta fiscalització a la qual ha sigut sotmés el cànnabis, ha impedit que professionals de tot el món puguen dur a terme programes de millora genètica d'aquesta espècie, la qual cosa s'ha traduït en l'absència de varietats uniformes. En aquesta Tesi Doctoral s'han desenvolupat diferents eines biotecnològiques per a la millora genètica del cànnabis. En primer lloc, donada la falta de reproducibilitat d'alguns protocols de cultiu in vitro de cànnabis i la gran influència que el genotip exerceix en l'efectivitat d'aquests, es va avaluar la capacitat de regeneració in vitro de diferents explants. Com a resultat, s'ha desenvolupat un protocol lliure d'hormones a partir de hipocòtils de C. sativa que presenta altes taxes de regeneració (les quals oscil·len del 32,26% al 71,15%) en tots els genotips avaluats, presentant a més un 17,94% de taxa d'arrelat espontani dels regenerants. Al mateix temps, s'ha estudiat el patró polisomàtic de diferents explants de cànnabis i s'ha aconseguit regenerar, a partir d'aquests, un percentatge significatiu d'exemplars mixoploids (17,65% procedents de cotilèdons i 13,33% de hipocòtils) que, tal com descriu la bibliografia existent, podrien mostrar una major capacitat de síntesi de cannabinoids. D'altra banda, donada l'absència de publicacions científiques sobre aquest tema i el potencial que aquesta tècnica presenta per a pal·liar la variabilitat intrínseca d'aquesta espècie, s'ha desenvolupat l'estudi més profund fins hui relatiu a la biologia floral masculina de C. sativa. S'han descrit fins a 476.903 microspores i grans de pol·len per flor masculina, amb taxes de viabilitat in vivo de les microspores del 53,71 al 70,88%. A més, s'han correlacionat totes les etapes de desenvolupament del microgametòfit amb la longitud de la gemma, identificant intervals de longitud de gemma que contenen majoritàriament microspores vacuolades i grans de pol·len jove bi-cel·lular en tots els fenotips avaluats. D'aquesta manera, i encara que la presència de midó en les microspores i grans de pol·len de C. sativa segueix un patró similar a l'observat en espècies recalcitrants a la androgènesi, ha sigut possible abordar la inducció de la embriogènesi de microspores en aquesta espècie, aconseguint produir per primera vegada estructures multicel·lulars derivades de les microspores després d'aplicar sobre les gemmes un pretractament de fred d'una setmana de duració. Finalment, com a requisit previ per a l'edició genètica de C. sativa mitjançant els sistemes CRISPR/Cas, i fent ús del protocol de regeneració in vitro de plantes sorgit de la present Tesi Doctoral, s'ha aconseguit desenvolupar per primera vegada un protocol per a produir plantes de cànnabis transformades genèticament de manera estable, la qual cosa suposa una fita històrica en la millora genètica de l'espècie. Després del cocultiu amb A. tumefaciens i el posterior cultiu en medi de regeneració selectiva amb antibiòtics, els hipocòtils van aconseguir respectivament un 23,1% i un 5,0% de taxes de regeneració i transformació. En el seu conjunt, la present Tesi Doctoral proporciona un ventall d'eines biotecnològiques que permetran el desenvolupament d'una nova generació de varietats de cànnabis d'alt rendiment, que presenten caràcters homogenis, resistents a múltiples estressos tant biòtics com abiòtics, i sent així aptes tant per a un ús industrial com medicinal. / Galán Ávila, A. (2021). Development of biotechnological tools for the genetic improvement of Cannabis sativa L [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/176013 / Compendio