Developing a quantum dot nanotracker for endophytic bacteria translocation in plants
Loading...
Date
2017
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Western Cape
Abstract
Endophytes are bacteria that have been shown in previous studies to promote plant growth
without eliciting any sign of infection or plant disease, as well as promote bio-fortification
and has thus gained much attention in agriculture. However, due to the limited confirmatory
visual evidence of the in planta presence of bacteria, the significance of this plant-endophyte
interaction has not been comprehensively understood. The aim of this study was to
synthesise quantum dots to track the translocation of endophytes in a plant. Conventional
methods track endophytes by transformation of green fluorescent protein which has the
problem of fluorophore bleaching and blinking reducing detectability. Quantum dots (QDs)
offer distinct advantages over organic dyes and fluorescent proteins for biological imaging
applications because of their brightness, photostability, tunability and their extremely small
size ensures little to no interference with the normal functions of the bacterium. This project
required the synthesis of cadmium telluride QDs to be capped with mercaptopropionic acid
thus making them biocompatible and the subsequent characterization techniques were
performed. CdTe and Carbon QDs were transformed into the endophytic bacteria and were
thereafter used to treat Brassica napus L plants. Physiological and biochemical assays were
done to detect the effect of QDs on the plant and bacteria, respectively.
Description
Magister Scientiae - MSc (Biotechnology)