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Is it possible to improve homologous recombination in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii?

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Abstract

Targeted modification of the genome has long been an aim of many geneticists and biotechnologists. Gene targeting is a main molecular tool to examine biological effects of genes in a controlled environment. Effective gene targeting depends on the frequency of homologous recombination that is indispensable for the insertion of foreign DNA into a specific sequence of the genome. The main problem associated with the development of an optimal procedure for gene targeting in a particular organism is the variability of homologous recombination (HR) in different species. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is an attractive model system for the study of many cellular processes and is also an interesting object for the biotechnology industry. In spite of many advantages of this model system, C. reinhardtii does not readily express heterologous genes and does not allow targeted integration of foreign DNA into its genome easily. This paper compares data obtained from several different experiments designed for improving gene targeting in different organisms and reviews the suitability of particular techniques in C. reinhardtii cells.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Genetics, Comenius University, Mlynská dolina, SK-84215, Bratislava 4, Slovakia

    Miroslava Slaninová, Dominika Hroššová & Daniel Vlček

  2. Lehrstuhl für Genetik, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany

    Wolfgang Mages

Authors
  1. Miroslava Slaninová
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  2. Dominika Hroššová
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  3. Daniel Vlček
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  4. Wolfgang Mages
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Correspondence to Miroslava Slaninová.

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Slaninová, M., Hroššová, D., Vlček, D. et al. Is it possible to improve homologous recombination in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii?. Biologia 63, 941–946 (2008). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-008-0146-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-008-0146-4

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