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Excision of selectable marker genes from transgenic plants

Nature Biotechnology volume 20, pages 575–580 (2002)Cite this article

An Erratum to this article was published on 01 August 2002

Abstract

Selectable marker genes are required to ensure the efficient genetic modification of crops. Economic incentives and safety concerns have prompted the development of several strategies (site-specific recombination, homologous recombination, transposition, and co-transformation) to eliminate these genes from the genome after they have fulfilled their purpose. Recently, chemically inducible site-specific recombinase systems have emerged as valuable tools for efficiently regulating the excision of transgenes when their expression is no longer required. The implementation of these strategies in crops and their further improvement will help to expedite widespread public acceptance of agricultural biotechnology

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Figure 1: Recognition sites for recombinases shown to function in plants share a similar design.
Figure 2: Modes of site-specific recombinase action in vivo.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Paula Duque and Diana Horvath for critical evaluation of the manuscript.

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  1. Laboratory of Plant Molecular Biology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, 10021, NY

    Peter D. Hare & Nam-Hai Chua

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Correspondence to Nam-Hai Chua.

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Hare, P., Chua, NH. Excision of selectable marker genes from transgenic plants. Nat Biotechnol 20, 575–580 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0602-575

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