When more is better: multigene engineering in plants

The genomics revolution has taught us that a great deal of information can be derived from studying many genes or proteins at the same time. We are beginning to see this approach blossoming in applied research. Instead of attempting to generate useful transgenic plants by introducing single genes, we now see an increasing number of researchers embracing multigene transfer (MGT) as an approach to generate plants with more ambitious phenotypes. MGT allows researchers to achieve goals that were once impossible – the import of entire metabolic pathways, the expression of entire protein complexes, the development of transgenic crops simultaneously engineered to produce a spectrum of added-value compounds. The potential appears limitless.