Materials and methods for changing expression of a gene product in a plant are provided, and in an embodiment for creating herbicide tolerant plants are described herein. The methods provide for inserting into a plant genome, at a different locus than an endogenous gene, a genomic or coding sequence of the gene, which may be modified, into a genetic location that is different from the endogenous gene and where there is a desired transcriptional activity. The methods described herein can include the targeted insertion of an endogenous 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase gene into a genomic locus that enables sufficient expression to confer herbicide tolerance.
