Use of plant colonizing bacteria as chassis for transfer of N2-fixation to cereals. (April 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Geddes, Barney A; Ryu, Min-Hyung; Mus, Florence; Garcia Costas, Amaya; Peters, John W; Voigt, Christopher A; Poole, Philip
• Is Part Of: Current opinion in biotechnology. Volume 32(2015)
• Page Start: 216
• Page End: 222
• Publication Date: 2015-04
• Subjects: Biotechnology -- Periodicals; 660.6
• DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2015.01.004
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0958-1669

Abstract

Graphical abstract: Highlights: A global aim is to transfer N2 -fixation to cereals. One approach is to transfer N2 -fixation to bacteria that associate with cereals. Synthetic biology enables controlled transfer of N2 -fixation to anaerobic bacteria. A N2 -fixation cluster has been transferred to the associative aerobe P. protegens . Traits required for controlled N2 -fixation in aerobic bacteria are considered. Abstract : Engineering cereal crops that are self-supported by nitrogen fixation has been a dream since the 1970s when nitrogenase was transferred from Klebsiella pneumoniae to Escherichia coli . A renewed interest in this area has generated several new approaches with the common aim of transferring nitrogen fixation to cereal crops. Advances in synthetic biology have afforded the tools to rationally engineer microorganisms with traits of interest. Nitrogenase biosynthesis has been a recent target for the application of new synthetic engineering tools. Early successes in this area suggest that the transfer of nitrogenase and other supporting traits to microorganisms that already closely associate with cereal crops is a logical approach to deliver nitrogen to cereal crops.