ADVANCES IN PLANT SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY PROMISE TO INTRODUCE NOVEL GENETICALLY ENGINEERED (GE) CROP BIOTECHNOLOGIES IN THE NEAR FUTURE. NEW CHALLENGES TO FOOD SAFETY AND THE ENVIRONMENT ALSO ARISE AS MULTIPLE SPECIES OF PLANTS TRADITIONALLY USED FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION ARE ENGINEERED TO PRODUCE PLANT-MADE PHARMACEUTICALS (PMPS) OR PLANT-MADE INDUSTRIAL COMPOUNDS (PMIS). GENETIC BIOCONTAINMENT STRATEGIES (I.E. STRATEGIES THAT PREVENT ENGINEERED TRAITS FROM ESCAPING INTO WILD PLANTS) ARE NEEDED TO SUPPORT GROWTH OF THESE EMERGING AGRICULTURAL SECTORS WITHOUT JEOPARDIZING PUBLIC OR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF OUR PROPOSED RESEARCH IS TO DEVELOP A SIMPLE AND ELEGANT BIOCONTAINMENT STRATEGY TO PREVENT GENE FLOW INTO OR OUT FROM A GE CROP. WE WILL ESSENTIALLY ENGINEER 'SPECIES-LIKE' BARRIERS TO GENE FLOW IN A WAY THAT DOES NOT CHANGE THE GROWTH OR PROPAGATION METHODS FOR THE ENGINEERED PLANT. AN ARBITRARY NUMBER OF 'SYNTHETIC SPECIES' OF A CROP OF INTEREST COULD BEPRODUCED THAT ARE ALL INCOMPATIBLE WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH NON-GE PLANTSFOR THIS GRANT, WE WILL DEVELOP AND DEMONSTRATE OUR BIOCONTAINMENT STRATEGY IN A MODEL DICOT PLANT (ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA, ROCKCRESS, RELATED TO CABBAGE AND MUSTARD) AND A MODEL MONOCOT PLANT (ORYZA SATIVE, RICE). OUR APPROACH WILL MINIMIZE THE RISK OF WILD PLANTS FROM ACQUIRING TRAITS ENGINEERED IN TO GE CROPS. WE WILL DO THIS BY CREATING GENETIC INCOMPATIBILTIES BETWEEN THE ENGINEERED AND NATURAL PLANTS THAT PREVENT HYBRIDS FROM SURVIVING. OUR APPROACH UTILIZES RECENTLY DEVELOPED TOOLS FOR CONTROLLING WHICH GENES ARE TURNED ON IN A GIVEN CELL.