The role of LTR retrotransposons in plant genetic engineering: how to control their transposition in the genome
Ramakrishnan M. Papolu P.K. Mullasseri S. Zhou M. Sharma A. Ahmad Z. Satheesh V. Kalendar R. Wei Q.
January 2023Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Plant Cell Reports
2023#42Issue 13 - 15 pp.
Key message: We briefly discuss that the similarity of LTR retrotransposons to retroviruses is a great opportunity for the development of a genetic engineering tool that exploits intragenic elements in the plant genome for plant genetic improvement. Abstract: Long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons are very similar to retroviruses but do not have the property of being infectious. While spreading between its host cells, a retrovirus inserts a DNA copy of its genome into the cells. The ability of retroviruses to cause infection with genome integration allows genes to be delivered to cells and tissues. Retrovirus vectors are, however, only specific to animals and insects, and, thus, are not relevant to plant genetic engineering. However, the similarity of LTR retrotransposons to retroviruses is an opportunity to explore the former as a tool for genetic engineering. Although recent long-read sequencing technologies have advanced the knowledge about transposable elements (TEs), the integration of TEs is still unable either to control them or to direct them to specific genomic locations. The use of existing intragenic elements to achieve the desired genome composition is better than using artificial constructs like vectors, but it is not yet clear how to control the process. Moreover, most LTR retrotransposons are inactive and unable to produce complete proteins. They are also highly mutable. In addition, it is impossible to find a full active copy of a LTR retrotransposon out of thousands of its own copies. Theoretically, if these elements were directly controlled and turned on or off using certain epigenetic mechanisms (inducing by stress or infection), LTR retrotransposons could be a great opportunity to develop a genetic engineering tool using intragenic elements in the plant genome. In this review, the recent developments in uncovering the nature of LTR retrotransposons and the possibility of using these intragenic elements as a tool for plant genetic engineering are briefly discussed.
Genetic engineering , Plants , Retrotransposons , Retroviruses , Targeted integration , Transposable elements
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Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Bamboo Research Institute, Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Subtropical Forest Biodiversity Conservation, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Jiangsu, Nanjing, 210037, China
State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Institute of Bamboo Research, Zhejiang A&F University, Lin’an, Zhejiang, Hangzhou, 311300, China
Department of Zoology, St. Albert’s College (Autonomous), 682018, Kerala, Kochi, India
Zhejiang Provincial Collaborative Innovation Center for Bamboo Resources and High-Efficiency Utilization, Zhejiang A&F University, Lin’an, Zhejiang, Hangzhou, 311300, China
Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, College Park, United States
Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China
Helsinki Institute of Life Science HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Biocenter 3, Viikinkaari 1, Helsinki, F1-00014, Finland
Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology (IPBB), Timiryazev Street 45, Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan
Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China
State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture
Department of Zoology
Zhejiang Provincial Collaborative Innovation Center for Bamboo Resources and High-Efficiency Utilization
Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture
Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology
Helsinki Institute of Life Science HiLIFE
Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology (IPBB)
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