Organelle transformation: shoot first, ask questions later.
Transformation of mitochondria and chloroplasts is now possible by the application of microprojectile bombardment for the direct delivery of DNA to these organelles in living cells. Recent experiments have shown the feasibility of reverse genetic studies on mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes. Moreover, foreign or novel genes can now be stably introduced into mitochondria and chloroplasts, allowing the study of a much wider range of molecular genetic problems involving organelles than was previously possible.
Butow
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Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 75235.
Fox
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D002696:Chlamydomonas / Q000235:genetics*; D002736:Chloroplasts / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000737:chemistry; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D014170:Transformation, Genetic
D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial