Gene cloning in plants: innovative approaches.

Although many technical advances have recently been made in the development of plant transformation systems and plant-gene identification and isolation approaches, some of these approaches are either technically or practically not feasible for many important gene systems; thus alternative approaches are required. Two innovative approaches for gene cloning in plants are discussed here, namely, shotgun rescue and chromosome-oriented approaches. Emphasis is placed on their methodology, scope and advantages. Finally, potential applications of these approaches are proposed with reference to the isolation of genes for which mutations are available, the development of artificial plant chromosomes and their possible uses and chromosome-mediated transformation.