Synthetic promoters: genetic control through cis engineering

Technological advances in plant genetics integrated with systems biology and bioinformatics has yielded a myriad of novel biological data and insights into plant metabolism. This unprecedented advance has provided a platform for targeted manipulation of transcriptional activity through synthetic promoter engineering, and holds great promise as a way to further our understanding of regulatory complexity. The challenge and strategy for predictive experimental gene expression is the accurate design and use of molecular ‘switches’ and modules that will regulate single or multiple plant transgenes in direct response to specific environmental, physiological and chemical cues. In particular, focusing on cis-motif rearrangement, future plant biotechnology applications and the elucidation of cis- and trans-regulatory mechanisms could greatly benefit from using plant synthetic promoters.