Chloroplast Vector Systems for Biotechnology Applications
December 7, 2007| |
Chloroplasts, the organelles that conduct photosynthesis, are ideal hosts for transgenes. Plastid transformation has been used to introduce desirable agronomic properties like insect and disease resistance, drought and salt tolerance and phytoremediation to crops like cotton, rice, soybean, tomato and potato. A new review published by the journal Plant Physiology highlights the importance of chloroplast transformation system in biotechnology.
Compared to other transformation processes, plastid vectors offer several advantages. These include:
- Biological containment and lower environmental risk, since the plastid genes are maternally inherited and the transgenes cannot be disseminated by pollen.
- Ability to accumulate large amount of transgenic proteins, since there can be as much as 10,000 copies of the chloroplast genome in plant cells
- Gene stacking, which opens the possibility of producing multivalent vaccines in a single transformation step.
The article also focuses on the various components of vectors used for stable protein production in transgenic chloroplasts. The paper is available at http://www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/content/full/145/4/1129
| |
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- FAO Helps Farmers Export Specialty Crops
- Impact of Climate Change on Subsistence Agriculture
- Egyptian Professor Point Out BT Maize Benefits
- New Program to Increase Women Participation in Agric Science
- ARS Set to Release New Disease-Resistant Wheat
- Brazil Turns the Spotlight on Functional Foods
- Exemption of Bt Corn Protein from Tolerance Requirement
- Using Parasites to Manage Fruit Flies
- China’s Partnership with ICRISAT Bears Fruits
- Scientists Identify Boron Tolerance Barley Gene
- Philippines May Turn to GM Trees to Save its Forests
- Socio-economic Study Confirmed Gains in Bt Cotton in India
- Vietnam's Agricultural Biodiversity Appreciated
- River Microbes to Reduce Global Warming
- Germany Clears Bt Maize
- Scientific Panel's Opinion on Bayer's GM Rice Application
- German Agric Minister Proposes Changes in GMO Authorisation Procedure
-
Research Highlights
- Chloroplast Vector Systems for Biotechnology Applications
- Identification of the First Eukaryotic Molybdenum Transporter
- Toward Sequencing the Cotton Genome
- Drought Tolerant Plants by Delaying Leaf Senescence
-
Announcements
- PK on Biotechnology for Saline Soils
-
Resources
- CBU Translation in French
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (May 2, 2024)
- Gene Editing Supplement (April 24, 2024)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet