Transcription Activator Like Effectors and Its Application in Biotechnology

Key words: 
• transcription activator like effectors /
• transcription activator like effectors nucleases /
• structural features of TALEs /
• prospects of TALEs in biotechnology

Abstract: Transcription activator like effectors（ TALEs） are injected via the type Ⅲ secretion pathway of many plant pathogenic Xanthomonas spp. into plant cells where they contribute to infection of disease or trigger resistance by binding to DNA and turning on TALEs-specific host genes. All TALEs are composed of an N-terminal translocation domain,central tandem repeat DNA binding domain,C-terminal nuclear localization signals and an acidic transcriptional activation domain. Advances in our understanding of TALEs and their targets have yielded new models for pathogen recognition and defense. Recent elucidation of the basis for specificity in DNA binding by TALEs expedites further discovery and opens the door to biotechnological applications. Here,we summarized the recent advances and prospects of TALEs technology with an emphasis on its structure and functions,as well as the transcription activator-like effector nucleases.