Abstract
Plant breeding relies on backcrossing and self-crossing, due to genetic linkage. Plant artificial chromosomes would allow the construction of various multigene complexes while avoiding linkage drag. Rational construction can also give novel insights into minimal chromosome requirements. Previous efforts did not meet the epigenetic requirements for centromere reconstruction, instead opting to repurpose native chromosomes, impeding rational design and customizability. I demonstrate the bottom-up synthesis of a prototype minichromosome, with a novel molecular construction toolkit for custom chromosomes intended for autonomous replication, and test these components within plants. This advances the field of synthetic biology towards artificial construction of functional plant chromosomes.
Original language | English |
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Qualification | Doctor of Philosophy |
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Award date | 21 Feb 2023 |
Publication status | Unpublished - 2022 |
Embargo information
- Embargoed from 21/02/2022 to 08/02/2025. Will become publicly avaliable on 08/02/2025