ABSTRACT
To introduce foreign (new) genes into plant cells. A technique for gene-into-cell introduction in which the gene (genetic material) is driven into plant cells by the force of an explosion (vaporization) of a drop of water (to which the gene and gold particles have been added). The explosion is caused by application of high-voltage electricity to the drop of gene-laden water; the water then vaporized explosively, driving the “shot” (gold particles) and genetic material through the cell membrane. The plant cell then heals itself (reseals the hole where the gene entered), incorporates the new gene into its genetic complement, and produces whatever product (e.g., a protein) that the newly introduced gene codes for. See also Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Coding sequence, Genetic engineering, Vector, “Shotgun cleaning method,” Gene, Genome, Ribosomes.
