SBIR Phase I: A Gene Targeting System for Plants

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目旨在开发植物同源重组或基因靶向系统。 基因靶向为利用植物的生物合成能力生产具有商业价值的化合物提供了巨大的希望。 实施该技术的主要限制是同源重组的频率低。 该项目计划通过使用专有方法在特定靶位点引入染色体断裂来克服这一限制。 染色体断裂极大地增强了局部同源重组，并且设计实验来修饰植物基因以赋予除草剂抗性。 这些实验的成功将为开发用于各种重要作物物种的有效基因靶向系统提供基础。 这项技术将成为研究基因功能、修改基因组和设计生物合成途径的有力工具。该项目的商业应用将是开发新的作物品种，这些品种更好地抵抗害虫，提高食品价值，并生产具有工业重要性的化合物。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project seeks to develop a homologous recombination or gene targeting system for plants. Gene targeting offers great promise for harnessing the biosynthetic capacity of plants to produce compounds of commercial value. A major limitation in implementing this technology is the low frequency of homologous recombination. This project plans to overcome this limitation through the use of a proprietary method to introduce chromosome breaks at specific target loci. Chromosome breaks greatly enhance localized homologous recombination, and experiments are designed to modify a plant gene to confer herbicide resistance. Success of these experiments will provide the foundation for developing an efficient system of gene targeting for use in a variety of important crop species. This technology will be a powerful tool for studying gene function, modifying genomes, and engineering biosynthetic pathways.The commercial application of this project will be in the development of new crop varieties, that better withstand pests, have enhanced food value, and produce compounds of industrial importance.