Gene targeting in plants

Green light for gene targeting in plants.

P recision engineering of eukaryotic organisms requires efficient techniques for homology-based replacement of an endogenous gene by an introduced gene, a process termed gene targeting (GT). Because foreign DNA is preferentially integrated by nonhomologous recombination in plants and animals, special strategies are needed to increase the frequency and facilitate the detection of GT. Developing ...

Gene targeting in plants: 25 years later.

Only five years after the initiation of transgenic research in plants, gene targeting (GT) was achieved for the first time in tobacco. Unfortunately, the frequency of targeted integration via homologous recombination (HR) was so low in comparison to random integration that GT could not be established as a feasible technique in higher plants. It took another 25 years and great effort to develop ...

Gene Targeting and Genetic Transformation of Plants

High-frequency gene targeting in Arabidopsis plants expressing the yeast RAD54 gene.

Gene targeting, which is homologous recombination-mediated integration of an extra-chromosomal DNA segment into a chromosomal target sequence, enables the precise disruption or replacement of any gene. Despite its value as a molecular genetic tool, gene targeting remains an inefficient technology in most species. We report that expression of the yeast RAD54 gene, a member of the SWI2/SNF2 chrom...

Barriers and recent advances in non-viral vectors targeting the lungs for cystic fibrosis gene therapy

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in CFTR genes that affect chloride ion channel. The CF is a good nominee for gene therapy as the asymptomatic carriers are phenotypically normal, and the desired cells are accessible for vector delivery. Gene therapy shows promising effects involving the correction of gene or replacement of the mutant gene with the func...