Project Number: 3611-21000-021-02
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Jan 15, 2007
End Date: Jan 14, 2011

Objective:
Develop and demonstrate procedures for stable transformation of chloroplast genome of plants without creating serious disruptions to photoysnthesis and to normal chloroplast metabolism. Determine inheritance patterns of genes selected for insertion and what limitations, if any, are imposed by plastid transformation rather than nuclear transformation. Utilize new procedures to develop plants capable of synthesizing high-value products, such as pharmaceuticals, or capable of enhanced productivity.

Approach:
Genetic engineering of plants has tremendous potential to create crops with new metabolic capabilities, like the ability to accumulate pharamecuticals or other high-value specialty materials. In addition to metabolic engineering itself, however, there are some obstacles to be overcome before these technologies can be commercialized. One is the potential for spread of transgenes from the engineered plants to conventional fields of the same crop, largely by dispersal of pollen. An attractive approach to the problem of gene dispersal is to genetically engineer the chloroplast male gametophyte (pollen).