Abstract The literature review considers fundamental and applied aspects of plant genetic engineering related to the use of genes that control the synthesis and catabolism of free proline (Pro). The role of this polyfunctional amino acid in the processes of formation of plant resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses is highlighted. Current data on genes and key enzymes of proline biosynthesis and degradation, including delta-1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase (P5CS), proline dehydrogenase (ProDH), ornithine-5-aminotransferase (OAT), and their organization and expression in plant cells are presented. The main directions and possibilities of using functional genes of metabolism Pro in the genetic engineering of plants are analyzed. Attention is paid to some members of the families of genes of transcription factors involved in the formation of plant resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses, the expression of which is positively correlated with the expression of genes encoding enzymes of proline metabolism. The practical results from researches of domestic and foreign scientists with the use of genes of synthesis and catabolism of proline in genetic engineering of cereals and other cultivated plants are generalized. Information on quantitative changes in the content of this amino acid and the level of tolerance of genetically modified plants of monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous species to various abiotic stressors is presented. The practical developments of a new direction of genetic engineering, siRNA-technologies, and its prospects and possibilities of application for increasing resistance of cultivated plants to ecological stresses are analyzed.
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