Hager M, Bock R
Institut für Biologie III, Universität Freiburg, Germany.
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2000 Sep;54(3):302-10. doi: 10.1007/s002530000397.
The most distinguishing feature of the plant cell is a DNA-containing organelle that sets plants apart from all other organisms: the chloroplast. Compelling evidence supports an endosymbiotic origin for chloroplasts. According to this theory, chloroplasts are descendants of formerly free-living cyanobacterial ancestors which entered an endosymbiotic relationship with a pre-eukaryotic cell and were ultimately integrated into the metabolism of the host cell. Chloroplasts retain many prokaryotic features and their gene expression system still closely resembles that of their eubacterial ancestors. During the past decade, our knowledge about chloroplast biology has benefited immensely from a most remarkable methodological breakthrough: the development of transformation technologies for chloroplast genomes. Moreover, recent advances in the manipulation of higher plant chloroplast genomes have created unprecedented opportunities for the genetic engineering of plants and promise to overcome many of the problems associated with conventional transgenic technologies. This review describes the state of the art in genetic engineering of higher plant chloroplast genomes and highlights the tremendous potential of these technologies for the biotechnology of the future.
植物细胞最显著的特征是一种含有DNA的细胞器，它使植物有别于所有其他生物：叶绿体。有力的证据支持叶绿体的内共生起源。根据这一理论，叶绿体是以前自由生活的蓝细菌祖先的后代，这些祖先与一个真核前体细胞建立了内共生关系，并最终融入宿主细胞的代谢中。叶绿体保留了许多原核生物的特征，其基因表达系统仍然与它们的真细菌祖先非常相似。在过去十年中，我们对叶绿体生物学的认识极大地受益于一项非常显著的方法学突破：叶绿体基因组转化技术的发展。此外，高等植物叶绿体基因组操作的最新进展为植物基因工程创造了前所未有的机会，并有望克服许多与传统转基因技术相关的问题。这篇综述描述了高等植物叶绿体基因组基因工程的现状，并强调了这些技术在未来生物技术中的巨大潜力。
