Biotechnology and synthetic biology approaches for metabolic engineering of bioenergy crops.
THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2016;
87:103-17. [PMID:
27030440 DOI:
10.1111/tpj.13176]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2015] [Revised: 03/18/2016] [Accepted: 03/22/2016] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The Green Revolution has fuelled an exponential growth in human population since the mid-20th century. Due to population growth, food and energy demands will soon surpass supply capabilities. To overcome these impending problems, significant improvements in genetic engineering will be needed to complement breeding efforts in order to accelerate the improvement of agronomical traits. The new field of plant synthetic biology has emerged in recent years and is expected to support rapid, precise, and robust engineering of plants. In this review, we present recent advances made in the field of plant synthetic biology, specifically in genome editing, transgene expression regulation, and bioenergy crop engineering, with a focus on traits related to lignocellulose, oil, and soluble sugars. Ultimately, progress and innovation in these fields may facilitate the development of beneficial traits in crop plants to meet society's bioenergy needs.
Collapse