Promises and pitfalls of synthetic chromosomes in plants

James A Birchler

doi:10.1016/j.tibtech.2014.12.010

Promises and pitfalls of synthetic chromosomes in plants

Trends Biotechnol. 2015 Mar;33(3):189-94. doi: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2014.12.010. Epub 2015 Jan 24.

Author

James A Birchler¹

Affiliation

¹ Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA. Electronic address: BirchlerJ@Missouri.edu.

PMID: 25624060
DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2014.12.010

Abstract

This review summarizes synthetic chromosome construction in plants and speculates on how they might be applied to various uses in the future, as well as the possible impact for synthetic biology. The procedures to construct foundational platforms for synthetic chromosomes in plants are described, together with some challenges to be overcome in growing such chromosomes and expanding their applications.

Keywords: artificial chromosomes; centromere; engineered minichromosomes; food security; genetic engineering; plants; synthetic biology.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Review

MeSH terms

Chromosomes, Artificial*
Chromosomes, Plant*
Genes, Plant*
Genes, Synthetic*
Molecular Biology / methods*
Molecular Biology / trends
Plants / genetics*