Progress in Implementing Plastid Transformation in Arabidopsis thaliana

Arabidopsis thaliana, an important model plant species, is recalcitrant to plastid transformation. To enable early identification of transplastomic events, we developed a novel marker system that is selectively expressed in chloroplasts. We report on the successful deployment of the new marker system in Arabidopsis and discuss the requirements of developing a reproducible protocol. Plastid genome engineering in Arabidopsis will enable exploration of improving crop productivity by engineering the photosynthetic machinery, which would have a profound effect on basic science and applications in agriculture.