Transplastomic plant

Plastids types en

Transplastomic plant

A transplastomic plant is a genetically modified plant in which new genes have been inserted into the chloroplast DNA instead of the nuclear DNA. This method of genetic modification is known as chloroplast transformation and offers several advantages over traditional nuclear transformation techniques.

Chloroplast Transformation

Chloroplast transformation involves the insertion of foreign genes into the chloroplast genome. This is typically achieved using a gene gun or biolistic particle delivery system, which propels DNA-coated particles into the plant cells. The foreign DNA integrates into the chloroplast genome through homologous recombination.

Advantages

Transplastomic plants offer several benefits:

• **High-level expression**: Chloroplasts can produce large amounts of protein due to their high copy number within each cell.
• **Gene containment**: Since chloroplasts are maternally inherited in most plants, the risk of gene flow through pollen is minimized.
• **Multigene engineering**: The chloroplast genome allows for the insertion of multiple genes in a single transformation event.
• **Reduced gene silencing**: Chloroplast transformation is less prone to gene silencing compared to nuclear transformation.

Applications

Transplastomic plants have been developed for various applications, including:

• **Biopharmaceuticals**: Production of therapeutic proteins and vaccines.
• **Agricultural traits**: Enhanced herbicide resistance, insect resistance, and disease resistance.
• **Bioremediation**: Plants engineered to detoxify environmental pollutants.

Challenges

Despite the advantages, there are challenges associated with transplastomic plants:

• **Limited species**: Chloroplast transformation has been successfully achieved in a limited number of plant species, primarily tobacco.
• **Regulatory hurdles**: Transplastomic plants are subject to stringent regulatory approval processes.
• **Technical complexity**: The process of chloroplast transformation is technically demanding and requires specialized equipment and expertise.

Notable Examples

• **Tobacco**: The first transplastomic plant was Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco), which has been extensively used as a model system.
• **Potato**: Transplastomic potato plants have been developed for improved resistance to potato virus Y.

Future Prospects

Research is ongoing to extend chloroplast transformation to a wider range of plant species and to develop new applications for transplastomic plants. Advances in synthetic biology and genome editing technologies hold promise for overcoming current limitations and expanding the utility of transplastomic plants.

See Also

• Genetically modified organism
• Plant biotechnology
• Gene gun
• Biopharmaceutical