Review Article | Open Access

Volume 2023 |Article ID 0013 | https://doi.org/10.34133/bdr.0013

Plant Promoters and Terminators for High-Precision Bioengineering

Emily G. Brooks,^1,8 Estefania Elorriaga,^1,8 Yang Liu,^2,3 James R. Duduit,¹ Guoliang Yuan,^2,3 Chung-Jui Tsai,^3,4,5,6 Gerald A. Tuskan,^2,3 Thomas G. Ranney,⁷ Xiaohan Yang ,^2,3 and Wusheng Liu ¹

¹Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA
²Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
³The Center for Bioenergy Innovation, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
⁴Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resource, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
⁵Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
⁶Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
⁷Mountain Crop Improvement Lab, Department of Horticultural Science, Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center, North Carolina State University, Mills River, NC 28759, USA
⁸These authors contributed equally to this work

Abstract

High-precision bioengineering and synthetic biology require fine-tuning gene expression at both transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. Gene transcription is tightly regulated by promoters and terminators. Promoters determine the timing, tissues and cells, and levels of the expression of genes. Terminators mediate transcription termination of genes and affect mRNA levels posttranscriptionally, e.g., the 3′-end processing, stability, translation efficiency, and nuclear to cytoplasmic export of mRNAs. The promoter and terminator combination affects gene expression. In the present article, we review the function and features of plant core promoters, proximal and distal promoters, and terminators, and their effects on and benchmarking strategies for regulating gene expression.