XVI International Botanical Congess
In the coming years, an exponential increase in the number of genes will be uncovered through genome sequencing. The functions of a large set of genes will not be known. However, genetic transformation will remain both a tool for defining gene function and a means for testing the commercial utility of new sequences. With a far greater number of genes to work with, the rate of crop improvement and commercialization of new traits will be much more dependent on the speed and efficiency of gene transfer. Site-specific recombination offers new opportunities to engineer transgenic plants in a more efficient and precise manner. The following topics will be discussed: Resolution of complex integration patterns into single copy transgenes, host modification of site-specifically integrated transgenes, and development of new site-specific recombination systems.