Mechanism Involved in Terminator Technology, Ribosomal Inactivating Protein, Protein Synthesis, Promoter Permiting, Lethal Rip Gene, Recombinase Enzyme

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	Mechanism involved in terminator technology The patented method for terminator technology is based on the following three genes: (i) A lethal terminator gene that produces a protein, which is toxic to the plant and therefore, does not allow the seed to germinate. One such gene indicated in the patent, is ribosomal inactivating protein (RIP) gene, which if expressed, does not allow protein synthesis to take place.
The gene is placed under the control of LEA promoter permiting RIP to express only during late embryogenesis, thus affecting only the embryo development. This gene (RIP gene) will not express in the first generation, because its expression is blocked through the use of a spacer or a blocking sequence between the promoter and the lethal RIP gene. On either side of the spacer are placed specific excision sequences that are recognized by a recombinase enzyme whose function is to excise the spacer of the blocking sequence (Cre/Lox system from a bacteriophage). (ii) The 'second' gene encodes a recombinase enzyme, and is placed behind another promoter/operator,' specific for the third gene. (iii) The third gene is' a repressor gene. The genetic elements, as above, differ for pure lines and hybrid seed production systems.