Chloroplast genetic engineering: Concept and industrial applications

Abstract

Chloroplast engineering has emerged as an environment-friendly tool and is rather favored over nuclear engineering in some crops. Genome of plastid is highly polyploidy, and therefore it offers introduction of multiple copies of foreign gene in plant cells. Transformation of chloroplast has many inherent advantages. These advantages include higher level of foreign gene expression, multi-gene engineering in a single transformation process, absence of gene silencing and position effect variation, minimal outcrossing of transgene and precise regulation and sequestration of foreign protein. In recent years, successful chloroplast genome engineering has resulted in improved resistance to insect disease, herbicides and drought and production of biopharmaceuticals, including vaccine antigen. Furthermore, development and advancements in chloroplast transformation will help in genetic modification, genetic improvements in plants and cost-effective production of pharmaceutical components with ecofriendly approach. This chapter focuses on basic concepts of genetic engineering and its commercial prospects.