Patent ID: 7129391

Claim:
An integration and expression vector competent for stably transforming the chloroplast genome of a higher plant species which comprises an expression cassette which comprises, operably joined, a heterologous DNA sequence coding for a peptide of interest and control sequences positioned upstream from the 5′ end and downstream of the 3′ end of the heterologous DNA sequence to provide expression of the heterologous DNA sequence in the chloroplast genome of a target higher plant, and flanking each side of the expression cassette, chloroplast DNA flanking sequences derived from a transcriptionally active spacer region, whereby stable integration of the heterologous DNA sequence into the chloroplast genome of the target plant is facilitated by homologous recombination of the flanking sequences with a complementary sequence in the target chloroplast genome and wherein said stable integration is directed into a transcriptionally active intergenic spacer region of the chloroplast genome.