Chloroplasts are central to photosynthesis and metabolic biosynthesis in plants and algae, offering immense potential for synthetic biology. This review highlights recent advances in chloroplast genome minimization, high-efficiency genome editing, and metabolic pathway redesign to optimize chloroplast functionality. We begin by summarizing strategies to relocate chloroplast-encoded genes to the nuclear genome, facilitating chloroplast genome streamlining while maintaining gene expression. We then discuss cutting-edge tools for precise chloroplast genome editing, enabling knockout, knock-in, base substitution, and multiplex modifications. Finally, we explore the dynamic regulation of chloroplast energy metabolism and the redesign of core pathways to establish de novo biosynthesis of high-value compounds, enhancing production efficiency and enabling crop trait improvement. These integrated approaches pave the way for next-generation chloroplast engineering with broad implications for biotechnology and agriculture.
Fu et al. (Sun,) studied this question.