What is biolistcis? Biolistics, short for “biological ballistics” is a method for the delivery of nucleic acid to cells by high-speed particle bombardment. The technique uses nucleic acid-coated particles propelled by a pressurized gun (gene gun) to transfect cells or organelles. It can also be used to deliver vaccines.
It is a new process which employs high velocity microprojectiles to deliver substances into cells and tissues. Biolistics also known as: Particle Bombardment; Microprojectile bombardment; Particle acceleration; Particle inflow gun; Gene gun: Bio-blaster.
Biolistics including particle bombardment is a commonly used method for genetic transformation of plants when either cells/tissues or intracellular organelles are impermeable to foreign DNA.
Millions of DNA-coated metal particles are shot at target cells or tissues using a biolistic device or gene gun. The DNA elutes off the particles that lodge inside the cells, and a portion may be stably incorporated in the host chromosomes.
The plant cell wall is usually impermeable to foreign DNA. Utilization of the gene gun method has shown better results against the various barriers that hinder the delivery of foreign DNA inside the organelle/cell/tissue.
Biolistics
