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Development of transgenic crops based on photo‐biotechnology
Author(s) -
Ganesan Markkandan,
Lee HyoYeon,
Kim JeongIl,
Song PillSoon
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
plant, cell and environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.646
H-Index - 200
eISSN - 1365-3040
pISSN - 0140-7791
DOI - 10.1111/pce.12887
Subject(s) - phototropin , photomorphogenesis , phytochrome , abiotic component , biology , genetically modified crops , abiotic stress , etiolation , transgene , phototropism , microbiology and biotechnology , crop , cryptochrome , photosynthesis , botany , blue light , gene , agronomy , arabidopsis , genetics , ecology , red light , circadian clock , biochemistry , optics , physics , mutant , enzyme
The phenotypes associated with plant photomorphogenesis such as the suppressed shade avoidance response and de‐etiolation offer the potential for significant enhancement of crop yields. Of many light signal transducers and transcription factors involved in the photomorphogenic responses of plants, this review focuses on the transgenic overexpression of the photoreceptor genes at the uppermost stream of the signalling events, particularly phytochromes, crytochromes and phototropins as the transgenes for the genetic engineering of crops with improved harvest yields. In promoting the harvest yields of crops, the photoreceptors mediate the light regulation of photosynthetically important genes, and the improved yields often come with the tolerance to abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity and heavy metal ions. As a genetic engineering approach, the term photo‐biotechnology has been coined to convey the idea that the greater the photosynthetic efficiency that crop plants can be engineered to possess, the stronger the resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Development of GM crops based on photoreceptor transgenes (mainly phytochromes, crytochromes and phototropins) is reviewed with the proposal of photo‐biotechnology that the photoreceptors mediate the light regulation of photosynthetically important genes, and the improved yields often come with the added benefits of crops' tolerance to environmental stresses.