Abstract

Gene transfer is a genetic engineering technique aiming to insert an interested gene into a specific host organism. Since its time of discovery, many gene transfer methods have been successfully evolved for practical use in the laboratory. However, non of them are ideal methods for all organism. Each method is only suitable to particular gene and particular host organism due to their different physical characteristics. Especially, plant cells with thick cell wall are one of the most difficult samples for gene transfer because of their high tolerance to external stimulation. Here, we present the combination between laser technology and microscopy to enhance the quality of plant gene transfer by applying the knowledge of protoplast technology. Elodea cells were used as sample cells and were treated in solution for plasmolysis. Excimer laser and Optical tweezers system were set for microsurgery of Elodea sample cells and insertion of DNA filled liposome into targeted cell. The ongoing process of protoplast and liposome fusion is under investigation.

© 2015 Optical Society of America