[Excision of selectable marker gene from transgenic plant]

Abstract

Currently used plant transformation systems require selectable marker genes encoding antibiotic or herbicide resistance, along with the gene of interest, to select transformed cells from a large population of mostly untransformed cells. The continued presence of these selectable markers, especially in food crop, is of increasing public concern. The generation of selectable marker-free transgenic plant is one of the new projects in plant biotechnology research. Two techniques, segregation excision and recombination excision, for removal of selectable marker genes are described in this article. The advances in producing selectable marker-free transgenic plants are reviewed too.