Target-specific gene delivery in plant systems and their expression: Insights into recent developments

• Published in: Journal of biosciences Vol. 45; no. 1
• Main Authors: Nandy, Debdyuti, Maity, Amrita, Mitra, Arup Kumar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New Delhi Springer India 2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agricultural engineering; Biological evolution; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Biotechnology; Carbon nanotubes; Cell Biology; CRISPR-Cas Systems - genetics; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; Drought; Drought resistance; Electroporation; Endonucleases; Gene editing; Gene Editing - methods; Gene expression; Gene Targeting; Gene transfer; Genetic engineering; Genetic Engineering - methods; Genetic modification; Genetic Therapy; Genome editing; Homologous Recombination - genetics; Life Sciences; Methods; Microbiology; Microinjection; Nanotechnology; Nanotubes; Nanotubes, Carbon; Nuclease; Nutritive value; Organic chemistry; Pest resistance; Pesticide resistance; Plant Sciences; Plants - genetics; Plants - microbiology; Recombinant DNA; Recombinants; Review; Specificity; Transcription; Transcription Activator-Like Effector Nucleases - genetics; Transgenes; Transgenic plants; Viruses; Zinc; Zinc Finger Nucleases - genetics; Zinc finger proteins; Zoology; CRISPR; targeted gene delivery; ZFN; carbon nanotubes; TALEN; carrier protein; Plant genetic engineering
• ISSN: 0250-5991; 0973-7138
• DOI: 10.1007/s12038-020-0008-y

In order to improve crop plants in terms of their yield, drought resistance, pest resistance, nutritional value, etc., modern agriculture has relied upon plant genetic engineering. Since the advent of recombinant DNA technology, several tools have been used for genetic transformations in plants such as Agrobacterium tumefaciens , virus-mediated gene transfer, direct gene transfer systems such as electroporation, particle gun, microinjection and chemical methods. All these traditional methods lack specificity and the transgenes are integrated at random sites in the plant DNA. Recently novel techniques for gene targeting have evolved such as engineered nucleases such as Zinc Finger Nucleases, Transcription Activator like effector nucleases, Clustered regular interspaced short palindromic repeats. Other advances include improvement in tools for delivery of gene editing components which include carrier proteins, and carbon nanotubes. The present review focuses on the latest techniques for target specific gene delivery in plants, their expression and future directions in plant biotechnology.