A technique for gene-into-cell introduction in which the gene is attached to tiny “bullets” made of tungsten or other metal. By means of a special device (“gene gun”) the tiny particles are then literally “shot” through the plasma membrane into plant cells with:
- High-pressure gas (e.g., the GENEBOOSTER® gun developed at Hungary’s Agricultural Biotechnology Center utilizes nitrogen).
- A rather conventional firearm (sometimes called a particle gun) which uses a .22 caliber shell minus the lead tip. The tiny particles are used in place of the lead tip. For example, the BIOLISTIC® Gene Gun invented at America’s Cornell University utilizes “bullets” made of tungsten.
Some plant cells are destroyed in the process and the survivors heal (provided the “bullet” is small enough), and incorporate (some) of the new genetic material into their genetic complement, and produces whatever product (i.e., a protein) the newly introduced gene codes for.