scholarly journals Base Editing in Plants: Applications, Challenges, and Future Prospects

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mawuli K. Azameti ◽  
Wadzani Palnam Dauda
Keyword(s):  
Genome Editing ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Agronomic Traits ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Base Editing ◽  
Crop Varieties

The ability to create targeted modifications in the genomes of plants using genome editing technologies has revolutionized research in crop improvement in the current dispensation of molecular biology. This technology has attracted global attention and has been employed in functional analysis studies in crop plants. Since many important agronomic traits are confirmed to be determined by single-nucleotide polymorphisms, improved crop varieties could be developed by the programmed and precise conversion of targeted single bases in the genomes of plants. One novel genome editing approach which serves for this purpose is base editing. Base editing directly makes targeted and irreversible base conversion without creating double-strand breaks (DSBs). This technology has recently gained quick acceptance and adaptation because of its precision, simplicity, and multiplex capabilities. This review focuses on generating different base-editing technologies and how efficient they are in editing nucleic acids. Emphasis is placed on the exploration and applications of these base-editing technologies to enhance crop production. The review also highlights the drawbacks and the prospects of this new technology.

scholarly journals Genome Editing in Cereals: Approaches, Applications and Challenges

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. 4040 ◽  
Author(s):  
Waquar A. Ansari ◽  
Sonali U. Chandanshive ◽  
Vacha Bhatt ◽  
Altafhusain B. Nadaf ◽  
Sanskriti Vats ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Editing ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Whole Genome Sequence ◽  
Cereal Crops ◽  
Sequence Information ◽  
World Population ◽  
Base Editing ◽  
Crop Varieties ◽  
Current Scenario

Over the past decades, numerous efforts were made towards the improvement of cereal crops mostly employing traditional or molecular breeding approaches. The current scenario made it possible to efficiently explore molecular understanding by targeting different genes to achieve desirable plants. To provide guaranteed food security for the rising world population particularly under vulnerable climatic condition, development of high yielding stress tolerant crops is needed. In this regard, technologies upgradation in the field of genome editing looks promising. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 is a rapidly growing genome editing technique being effectively applied in different organisms, that includes both model and crop plants. In recent times CRISPR/Cas9 is being considered as a technology which revolutionized fundamental as well as applied research in plant breeding. Genome editing using CRISPR/Cas9 system has been successfully demonstrated in many cereal crops including rice, wheat, maize, and barley. Availability of whole genome sequence information for number of crops along with the advancement in genome-editing techniques provides several possibilities to achieve desirable traits. In this review, the options available for crop improvement by implementing CRISPR/Cas9 based genome-editing techniques with special emphasis on cereal crops have been summarized. Recent advances providing opportunities to simultaneously edit many target genes were also discussed. The review also addressed recent advancements enabling precise base editing and gene expression modifications. In addition, the article also highlighted limitations such as transformation efficiency, specific promoters and most importantly the ethical and regulatory issues related to commercial release of novel crop varieties developed through genome editing.

scholarly journals Genome Editing: An Emerging Tool for Plant Breeders

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anand Kumar ◽  
Karansher Sandhu
Keyword(s):  
Genome Editing ◽  
Gene Editing ◽  
Biotic Resistance ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
New Era ◽  
Crop Varieties ◽  
Gene Information ◽  
Adenine Base

Conventional plant breeding has contributed enormously towards feeding the world and has played crucial roles in the development of modern society. The conventional method creates variation by transferring genes between or within the species. In general, these methods are more expensive and takes more time, to overcome these limitations, new technology is required. Genome editing is a powerful tool for biotechnology applications, with the capacity to alter the function of any gene. With the availability of gene information for the majority of the traits, genome editing emerged as a potential to create a new variation with the introduction of any transgene. The important genome editing tools used nowadays are ZFNs, TALEN, Pentatricopeptide repeats protein, adenine base editor, RNA interference, and CRISPR/Cas9. These tools have opened a new era for crop improvement. Due to the complex genetic architecture of most traits, it is challenging to edit genes controlling them. To overcome these challenges, genome editing provides a broader perspective. Among the above-mentioned tools, CRISPR/Cas9 is the most powerful tool for gene editing. These technologies are being used to create abiotic and biotic resistance crop varieties.

scholarly journals Recent advances in CRISPR/Cas9 and applications for wheat functional genomics and breeding

aBIOTECH ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Li ◽  
Yan Li ◽  
Ligeng Ma
Keyword(s):  
Functional Genomics ◽  
Genome Editing ◽  
Functional Annotation ◽  
Genome Engineering ◽  
Agronomic Traits ◽  
Wheat Breeding ◽  
Breeding Programs ◽  
Base Editing ◽  
The World ◽  
World Food Security

AbstractCommon wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the three major food crops in the world; thus, wheat breeding programs are important for world food security. Characterizing the genes that control important agronomic traits and finding new ways to alter them are necessary to improve wheat breeding. Functional genomics and breeding in polyploid wheat has been greatly accelerated by the advent of several powerful tools, especially CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology, which allows multiplex genome engineering. Here, we describe the development of CRISPR/Cas9, which has revolutionized the field of genome editing. In addition, we emphasize technological breakthroughs (e.g., base editing and prime editing) based on CRISPR/Cas9. We also summarize recent applications and advances in the functional annotation and breeding of wheat, and we introduce the production of CRISPR-edited DNA-free wheat. Combined with other achievements, CRISPR and CRISPR-based genome editing will speed progress in wheat biology and promote sustainable agriculture.

scholarly journals DNA Variation in a Diversity Panel of Tomato Genetic Resources

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Joanne A. Labate
Keyword(s):  
Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Genotyping By Sequencing ◽  
Genetic Distances ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Fresh Market ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
Dna Variation ◽  
Diversity Panel ◽  
Home Gardening

A diversity panel of 190 National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) accessions was genotyped using genotyping by sequencing. These originated from 31 countries and included fresh market, ornamental, processing, breeders’ lines, landraces, and home gardening types, as well as six different accessions of the economically valuable cultivar San Marzano. Most of the 34,531 discovered single nucleotide polymorphisms were rare and therefore excluded from downstream analyses. A total of 3713 high-quality, mapped single nucleotide polymorphisms that were present in at least two accessions were used to estimate genetic distances and population structure. Results showed that these phenotypically and geographically diverse NPGS tomato accessions were closely related to each other. However, a subset of divergent genotypes was identified that included landraces from primary centers of diversity (South America), secondary centers of diversity (Italy, Taiwan, and France), and genotypes that originated from wild species through 20th century breeding for disease resistance (e.g., ‘VFNT Cherry’). Extreme variant accessions produce cultivated fruit traits in a background that contains many wild or primitive genes. These accessions are promising sources of novel genes for continued crop improvement.

scholarly journals Improving the Precision of Base Editing by Bubble Hairpin Single Guide RNA

mBio ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiwei Hu ◽  
Yannan Wang ◽  
Qian Liu ◽  
Yan Qiu ◽  
Zhiyu Zhong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Editing ◽  
Dna Breaks ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
Base Editing ◽  
Guide Rna ◽  
Guide Rnas ◽  
Double Stranded Dna ◽  
Target Sites ◽  
Guide Sequence ◽  
Sgrna Design

ABSTRACT Base editing is a powerful genome editing approach that enables single-nucleotide changes without double-stranded DNA breaks (DSBs). However, off-target effects as well as other undesired editings at on-target sites remain obstacles for its application. Here, we report that bubble hairpin single guide RNAs (BH-sgRNAs), which contain a hairpin structure with a bubble region on the 5′ end of the guide sequence, can be efficiently applied to both cytosine base editor (CBE) and adenine base editor (ABE) and significantly decrease off-target editing without sacrificing on-target editing efficiency. Meanwhile, such a design also improves the purity of C-to-T conversions induced by base editor 3 (BE3) at on-target sites. Our results present a distinctive and effective strategy to improve the specificity of base editing. IMPORTANCE Base editors are DSB-free genome editing tools and have been widely used in diverse living systems. However, it is reported that these tools can cause substantial off-target editings. To meet this challenge, we developed a new approach to improve the specificity of base editors by using hairpin sgRNAs with a bubble. Furthermore, our sgRNA design also dramatically reduced indels and unwanted base substitutions at on-target sites. We believe that the BH-sgRNA design is a significant improvement over existing sgRNAs of base editors, and our design promises to be adaptable to various base editors. We expect that it will make contributions to improving the safety of gene therapy.

scholarly journals CRISPR base editors: genome editing without double-stranded breaks

2018 ◽  
Vol 475 (11) ◽  
pp. 1955-1964 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayman Eid ◽  
Sahar Alshareef ◽  
Magdy M. Mahfouz
Keyword(s):  
Genome Editing ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Genetic Diseases ◽  
Great Promise ◽  
Cytidine Deaminases ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Base Editing ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Short Palindromic Repeat ◽  
Basic Biology

The CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat)/Cas9 adaptive immunity system has been harnessed for genome editing applications across eukaryotic species, but major drawbacks, such as the inefficiency of precise base editing and off-target activities, remain. A catalytically inactive Cas9 variant (dead Cas9, dCas9) has been fused to diverse functional domains for targeting genetic and epigenetic modifications, including base editing, to specific DNA sequences. As base editing does not require the generation of double-strand breaks, dCas9 and Cas9 nickase have been used to target deaminase domains to edit specific loci. Adenine and cytidine deaminases convert their respective nucleotides into other DNA bases, thereby offering many possibilities for DNA editing. Such base-editing enzymes hold great promise for applications in basic biology, trait development in crops, and treatment of genetic diseases. Here, we discuss recent advances in precise gene editing using different platforms as well as their potential applications in basic biology and biotechnology.

New and novel genetic tools for improving crops.

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (028) ◽  
Author(s):  
Penna Suprasanna
Keyword(s):  
Plant Breeding ◽  
Agronomic Traits ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Genetically Modified Crops ◽  
Climate Resilience ◽  
Crop Varieties ◽  
New Novel ◽  
High Throughput Phenotyping ◽  
Sequencing Platforms

Abstract The basic tenet of crop improvement is the novel genetic variability that is achieved through selection, hybridization, mutation and recombination. The new technological innovations of plant breeding offer scope for transforming crop improvement with more precision and resolution. Advances in genomic-based tools and high-throughput phenotyping have enabled the analysis of genetic variation and identification of molecular signatures of agronomic traits. Molecular markers and molecular-marker-assisted breeding have facilitated the speedy selection of new, novel genetic combinations in breeding for high-yielding, stress-tolerant and nutritionally enriched crops. Transgenic methods have revolutionized modification for stress tolerance and higher productivity, and several genetically modified crops are under cultivation. Availability of genome sequencing platforms and genomic resources has significantly contributed to accessing novel genes and validating their functions. Genome-editing tools and recent advances of prime editing are now accessible for precise genetic alteration of plant traits. The new plant breeding tools will certainly foster development of highly productive, improved crop varieties for achieving food security and climate resilience.

scholarly journals Precision Genome Engineering Through Cytidine Base Editing in Rapeseed (Brassica napus. L)

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Limin Hu ◽  
Olalekan Amoo ◽  
Qianqian Liu ◽  
Shengli Cai ◽  
Miaoshan Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Engineering ◽  
Molecular Breeding ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Agronomic Traits ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Brassica Napus L ◽  
Editing Efficiency ◽  
Base Editing ◽  
Expected Gain ◽  
Genome Wide

Rapeseed is one of the world's most important sources of oilseed crops. Single nucleotide substitution is the basis of most genetic variation underpinning important agronomic traits. Therefore, genome-wide and target-specific base editing will greatly facilitate precision plant molecular breeding. In this study, four CBE systems (BnPBE, BnA3A-PBE, BnA3A1-PBE, and BnPBGE14) were modified to achieve cytidine base editing at five target genes in rapeseed. The results indicated that genome editing is achievable in three CBEs systems, among which BnA3A1-PBE had the highest base-editing efficiency (average 29.8% and up to 50.5%) compared to all previous CBEs reported in rapeseed. The editing efficiency of BnA3A1-PBE is ~8.0% and fourfold higher, than those of BnA3A-PBE (averaging 27.6%) and BnPBE (averaging 6.5%), respectively. Moreover, BnA3A1-PBE and BnA3A-PBE could significantly increase the proportion of both the homozygous and biallelic genotypes, and also broaden the editing window compared to BnPBE. The cytidine substitution which occurred at the target sites of both BnaA06.RGA and BnaALS were stably inherited and conferred expected gain-of-function phenotype in the T1 generation (i.e., dwarf phenotype or herbicide resistance for weed control, respectively). Moreover, new alleles or epialleles with expected phenotype were also produced, which served as an important resource for crop improvement. Thus, the improved CBE system in the present study, BnA3A1-PBE, represents a powerful base editor for both gene function studies and molecular breeding in rapeseed.

scholarly journals Genetic diversity assessment of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) accessions using single nucleotide polymorphism markers

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 412-420
Author(s):  
G. Afolayan ◽  
S. P. Deshpande ◽  
S. E. Aladele ◽  
A. O. Kolawole ◽  
I. Angarawai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Sorghum Bicolor ◽  
Agronomic Traits ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
Breeding Programs ◽  
Diversity Assessment ◽  
Crop Research ◽  
International Crop Research Institute ◽  
Private Alleles

AbstractSorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is an important resource to the national economy and it is essential to assess the genetic diversity in existing sorghum germplasm for better conservation, utilization and crop improvement. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of genetic diversity within and among sorghum germplasms collected from diverse institutes in Nigeria and Mali using Single Nucleotide Polymorphic markers. Genetic diversity among the germplasm was low with an average polymorphism information content value of 0.24. Analysis of Molecular Variation revealed 6% variation among germplasm and 94% within germplasms. Dendrogram revealed three groups of clustering which indicate variations within the germplasms. Private alleles identified in the sorghum accessions from National Center for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Ibadan, Nigeria and International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Kano, Nigeria shows their prospect for sorghum improvement and discovery of new agronomic traits. The presence of private alleles and genetic variation within the germplasms indicates that the accessions are valuable resources for future breeding programs.

scholarly journals Prediction of synonymous corrections by the BE-FF computational tool expands the targeting scope of base editing

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rabinowitz Roy ◽  
Abadi Shiran ◽  
Almog Shiri ◽  
Offen Daniel
Keyword(s):  
Genome Editing ◽  
Point Mutations ◽  
Nucleotide Variation ◽  
Single Nucleotide Variation ◽  
Computational Tool ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
Base Editing ◽  
A Genome ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Reference Protein

ABSTRACTBase editing is a genome-editing approach that employs the CRISPR/Cas system to precisely install point mutations within the genome. A cytidine or adenosine deaminase enzyme is fused to a deactivated Cas and converts C to T or A to G, respectively. The diversified repertoire of base editors, varied in their Cas and deaminase proteins, provides a wide range of functionality. However, existing base-editors can only induce transition substitutions in a specified region determined by the base editor, thus, they are incompatible for many point mutations. Here, we present BE-FF (Base Editors Functional Finder), a novel computational tool that identifies suitable base editors to correct the translated sequence erred by a given single nucleotide variation. Even if a perfect correction of the single nucleotide variation is not possible, BE-FF detects synonymous corrections to produce the reference protein. To assess the potential of BE-FF, we analysed a database of human pathogenic point mutations and found suitable base editors for 60.9% of the transition mutations. Importantly, 19.4% of them were made possible only by synonymous corrections. Moreover, we detected 298 cases in which pathogenic mutations caused by transversions were potentially repairable by base editing via synonymous corrections, although it had been thought impractical. The BE-FF tool and the database are available at https://www.danioffenlab.com/be-ff.GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

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