Claire M. Wilson – författare

This symposium is the third in a series featuring the propaga­ tion of higher plants through tissue culture. One of the aims of these symposia was to examine the current state­ of-the-art in tissue culture technology and to relate this state of technology to practical, applied, and commercial interests.

William C. Taylor Department of Genetics University of California Berkeley, California 94720 It is evident by now that there is a great deal of interest in exploiting the new technologies to genetically engineer new forms of plants. A purpose of this meeting is to assess the possibilities. The papers that follow are concerned with the analysis of single genes or small gene families. We will read about genes found within the nucleus, plastids, and bacteria which are responsible for agri­ culturally important traits. Given that these genes can be isolated by recombinant DNA techniques, there are two possible strategies for plant engineering. One involves isolating a gene from a cultivated plant, changing it in a specific way and then inserting it back into the same plant where it produces an altered gene product. An example might be changing the amino acid composition of a seed pro­ tein so as to make the seed a more efficient food source. A second strategy is to isolate a gene from one species and transfer it to another species where it produces a desirable feature. An example might be the transfer of a gene which encodes a more efficient pho­ tosynthetic enzyme from a wild relative into a cultivated species. There are three technical hurdles which must be overcome for either strategy to work. The gene of interest must be physically isolated.

William C. Taylor Department of Genetics University of California Berkeley, California 94720 It is evident by now that there is a great deal of interest in exploiting the new technologies to genetically engineer new forms of plants. A purpose of this meeting is to assess the possibilities. The papers that follow are concerned with the analysis of single genes or small gene families. We will read about genes found within the nucleus, plastids, and bacteria which are responsible for agri­ culturally important traits. Given that these genes can be isolated by recombinant DNA techniques, there are two possible strategies for plant engineering. One involves isolating a gene from a cultivated plant, changing it in a specific way and then inserting it back into the same plant where it produces an altered gene product. An example might be changing the amino acid composition of a seed pro­ tein so as to make the seed a more efficient food source. A second strategy is to isolate a gene from one species and transfer it to another species where it produces a desirable feature. An example might be the transfer of a gene which encodes a more efficient pho­ tosynthetic enzyme from a wild relative into a cultivated species. There are three technical hurdles which must be overcome for either strategy to work. The gene of interest must be physically isolated.

Gilbert S. Omenn Dean, Public Health and Community Medicine University of Washington Seattle, Washington 98195 On behalf of the University of Washington, the City of Seattle, the sponsors and donors, and my co-organizers, I am delighted to welcome all of you to this Conference on Genetic Control of Environ­ mental Pollutants. My only regret is that Dr. Alexander Hollaender, who has inspired so many of us as young scientists and stimulated so many trail-blazing conferences in environmental sciences and in gen­ etic engineering, is ill and was unable to make the trip to Seattle. He sends his warm good wishes for an outstanding meeting and a fine volume. The purpose of this Conference is to identify and assess strat­ egies for more effectively and safely managing wastes and toxic sub­ stances in the environment, in part through use of genetically engi­ neered microorganisms. There is a sense of desperation in our soci­ ety that modern technologies have introduced a bewildering array of potential hazards to human health and to our environment. There is an accompanying sense of frustration that our prodigious basic re­ search capabilities and our technological ingenuity have not yielded practical ways to control many pollutants and waste streams, or-­ better still--to convert them to useful products.

Gilbert S. Omenn Dean, Public Health and Community Medicine University of Washington Seattle, Washington 98195 On behalf of the University of Washington, the City of Seattle, the sponsors and donors, and my co-organizers, I am delighted to welcome all of you to this Conference on Genetic Control of Environ­ mental Pollutants. My only regret is that Dr. Alexander Hollaender, who has inspired so many of us as young scientists and stimulated so many trail-blazing conferences in environmental sciences and in gen­ etic engineering, is ill and was unable to make the trip to Seattle. He sends his warm good wishes for an outstanding meeting and a fine volume. The purpose of this Conference is to identify and assess strat­ egies for more effectively and safely managing wastes and toxic sub­ stances in the environment, in part through use of genetically engi­ neered microorganisms. There is a sense of desperation in our soci­ ety that modern technologies have introduced a bewildering array of potential hazards to human health and to our environment. There is an accompanying sense of frustration that our prodigious basic re­ search capabilities and our technological ingenuity have not yielded practical ways to control many pollutants and waste streams, or-­ better still--to convert them to useful products.

Delbert M. Shankel Departments of }1icrobiology and Biochemistry The University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas 66045 Welcome to the "International Conference on Mecha. nisms of Antimutagen- esis and Anticarcinogenesis. " We are delighted that so many of you have chosen to attend this first meeting on this important topic. The significance of genetic changes in cells has been recognized for many years. The seminal observations of Henri in 1914 (UV), Muller in 1927 (X-rays), and Auerbach in 1946 (chemical agents) established the fact that physical and chemical agents which may be present in our environment are capable of producing profound changes in heredity. It is now well-estab- lished, of course, that such changes can result in the development of can- cer, produce hereditary birth defects, alter microorganisms to cause drug resistance, or other harmful (or even beneficial) changes; it is likely that the processes of mutagenesis and the intricate balance between muta- genesis and antimutagenesis are involved in aging, evolution, and other fundamental life processe8. Consequently, we hope and believe that assem- bling thi. s group of scientists to share current fundamental and applied research in these areas will lead to a better understanding of these proc- esses and to long-term benefits for society.As stated clearly by Garfield (4), "Almost every aspect of modern liv- ing exposes us to health risks.

This symposium is the third in a series featuring the propaga­ tion of higher plants through tissue culture. The first of these symposia, entitled "A Bridge Between Research and Application," was held at the University in 1978 and was published by the Technical Information Center, Department of Energy. The second symposium, on "Emerging Technologies and Strategies," was held in 1980 and pub­ lished as a special issue of Environmental and Experimental Botany. One of the aims of these symposia was to examine the current state­ of-the-art in tissue culture technology and to relate this state of technology to practical, applied, and commercial interests. Thus, the third of this series on development and variation focused on embryogenesis in culture: how to recognize it, factors which affect embryogenesis, use of embryogenic systems, etc.; and variability from culture. A special session on woody species again emphasized somatic embryogenesis as a means of rapid propagation. This volume emphasizes tissue culture of forest trees. All of these areas, we feel, are breakthrough areas in which significant progress is expected in the next few years.