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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2026

High-efficiency genome-editing, transgene evaluation, and antimicrobial efficacy testing using Citrus medica L. hairy roots.

Huanglongbing (HLB) disease, associated with the fastidious bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), has a significant impact on citrus production worldwide. Conventional biochemical and genetic evaluation studies to identify potential disease resistance strategies have been mainly hindered due to the inability to culture CLas in a defined medium and the general recalcitrance of Citrus cultivars (grapefruits and oranges) to Agrobacterium-mediated plant transformation. We previously demonstrated the utility of plant hairy roots to co-cultivate CLas. In this study, we developed a hairy root transformation system using citron (Citrus medica L.), which is highly amenable to Rhizobium-mediated hairy root transformation. The explant survival and hairy root transformation efficiencies were up to 100% and 73%, respectively, and transgenic roots can be attained in as little as 30-60 days. We demonstrate the utility of this citron-based hairy root transformation for rapid CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing, transgene evaluation, and antimicrobial efficacy testing. The citron-based hairy root transformation system will significantly help the research community to speed-track the assessment of potential HLB disease resistance strategies.

Citrus↗

PubMed2026

Development of a highly efficient prime editing platform for cucurbits enables breeding of multi-disease-resistant cucumber.

The prime editing (PE) system is a precise genome editing technology that works efficiently in monocots; however, its application is limited by low editing efficiency in dicots, particularly Cucurbitaceae and Solanaceae plants. Here, we first significantly improved the transformation efficiency by introducing spectinomycin in cucurbits, then used the tomato elongation factor 1-alpha (SlEF1α) promoter to enhance PE protein expression, and incorporated the Csy4 ribonuclease to process pegRNAs, collectively addressing multiple constraints limiting PE efficiency in cucurbits. The optimized PE systems, particularly Csy4-PE6d, achieved an average desired editing frequency of 80.83% at targeted loci in cucumber via stable genetic transformation, with frequencies reaching up to 100% at certain sites. Moreover, Csy4-PE6d generated homozygous edits in 36.43% of transgenic lines and demonstrated robust editing activity in melon, pumpkin, and potato. Using the Csy4-PE6d tool, we generated heritable edited cucumber lines with dual resistance to bacterial angular leaf spot and downy mildew by targeting the CsSGR gene. Collectively, this optimized system substantially enhances PE efficiency in Cucurbit crops, providing an effective solution to common challenges such as low editing efficiency and limited heritability in these species.

Disease Resistance↗

PubMed2026

XsiAMT1.1a was identified as a novel ammonium uptake functional gene and its overexpression combined with GA4 application significantly increased yield in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Nitrogen (N) is a key limiting factor for plant yield. Ammonium is one of the main N forms absorbed by plants. Overexpression of ammonium uptake functional genes, such as ammonium transporter (AMT), can increase yield. However, the AMTs reported to enhance yield significantly is still limited. No researches have focused on the effect of overexpressing AMT combined with hormone application on yield improvement. In this study, we first investigated the role of XsiAMT1.1a, a potential ammonium uptake functional gene in an ammonium preference plant Xanthium sibiricum, in ammonium uptake by the analysis of bioinformatics, gene expression and subcellular localization, and the determination of ammonium uptake rate in endogenous silencing and heterologous overexpression plants. Subsequently, the effect of XsiAMT1.1a overexpression combined with hormone application on yield increase was further investigated in model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Our results showed that XsiAMT1.1a shared the same conserved domains with AtAMT1 subfamily members and localized on the plasma membrane. XsiAMT1.1a was induced by N deficiency and highly expressed during the reproductive period. XsiAMT1.1a endogenous silencing and heterologous overexpression significantly decreased and increased ammonium uptake rates in X. sibiricum and A. thaliana, respectively. Overexpression of XsiAMT1.1a significantly improved total N accumulation, biomass and yield in A. thaliana, while XsiAMT1.1a overexpression combined with GA4 application had a stronger promoting effect on the above indicators. Our research identified a novel ammonium uptake functional gene, XsiAMT1.1a, and provided a new yield-increasing strategy which was verified in A. thaliana.

Arabidopsis↗

PubMed2026

Antagonistic regulation by mango MiSPL9a and MiSPL9b regulates flowering time, drought and salt stress in Arabidopsis.

SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) transcription factors, which are unique to plants, contain a highly conserved SBP domain that regulates gene expression by binding to downstream targets. They play critical roles in various biological processes, especially in the regulation of flowering in plants. In this study, two SPL-like genes (MiSPL9a and MiSPL9b) were identified from mango genomic and transcriptomic data, and their sequence, expression and function were further analyzed. Sequence analysis revealed that MiSPL9a and MiSPL9b have open reading frames of 1173 bp and 1158 bp, respectively, with slight differences in the number of cis-regulatory elements within their promoter regions. Expression analysis under stress conditions revealed distinct patterns: MiSPL9a expression significantly differed under drought stress but did not significantly differ under salt stress, whereas MiSPL9b expression responded significantly to salt stress but changed minimally under drought stress. Phenotypic analysis of the transgenic Arabidopsis lines revealed that MiSPL9a overexpression delayed flowering, whereas MiSPL9b overexpression promoted early flowering. Under stress conditions, compared with wild-type plants, MiSPL9a-overexpressing plants presented increased drought tolerance but did not significantly differ. In contrast, MiSPL9b-overexpressing plants were sensitive to salt stress, with no notable phenotypic differences observed under drought conditions. Physiological assays revealed that under drought stress, MiSPL9a transgenic plants presented significantly reduced levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and increased proline (Pro) content and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Under salt stress, MiSPL9b transgenic plants presented opposite trends in terms of these physiological markers. In summary, both MiSPL9a and MiSPL9b are involved in the regulation of plant flowering time and stress responses, but their functions differ.

Arabidopsis↗

PubMed2026

Advances in CRISPR multiplex gene editing to map and modify stress-responsive transcription factor networks for crop improvement.

The development of CRISPR multiplex genome-editing (MGE) tools is rapidly transforming plant functional genomics and accelerating crop improvements. By simultaneously targeting two or more DNA loci, it allows scientists to precisely edit multiple genes at the single-nucleotide level, within the target genome. Simultaneous manipulation of multiple targets has revolutionized the functional elucidation studies, particularly the dissection of complex genetic pathways. Due to its superior precision and feasibility, CRISPR-MGE is widely accepted and has largely replaced alternative editing tools such as TALENs and ZFNs. Several CRISPR-MGE strategies, including the use of individual expression cassettes, tRNA-processing enzymes, Csy4 or ribozymes, have been successfully deployed in plants. Recent advancements, such as Cpf1, transgene-free methods, or ultra-multiplexing approaches, have further refined the technology into a powerful, efficient, and robust toolkit. MGE enables complex genome editing, including multiple-gene knockouts, base alterations, transcriptional regulation, metabolic engineering, or their combinations. Consequently, it is ideal for elucidating the function of transcription factors that are key molecular players in regulating diverse plant responses, especially in stress pathways. Several stress-responsive TFs have been functionally characterized via CRISPR-MGE, and more advanced tools are being employed. This review evaluates multiplexing tools, their diverse applications, and the current progress toward developing advanced MGE tools. Ultimately, we provide evidence to encourage the use of advanced MGE tools for functional characterization studies of stress-responsive TFs, thereby highlighting their potential to accelerate crop improvement.

Gene Editing↗

PubMed2025

Systematic Optimization Enables Near-Perfect In Vitro Transformation Efficiencies for Spirodela polyrhiza (Greater Duckweed).

The in vitro transformation of plants, or the delivery of foreign genetic material that is incorporated into their genomes, represents a powerful tool both for elucidating genotype-phenotype relationships and for generating plant cultivars which have desirable traits for agriculture and/or biotechnological applications. However, outside of a few model species, the processes involved in transformation are often inefficient and can take months to perform for many plant species, with several bottlenecks occurring at the different stages of calli induction, genetic transfection, and plant regeneration. While duckweeds - aquatic monocots whose species include some of the smallest and fastest-growing flowering plants on the planet - have distinguished themselves with several emerging biotechnological applications, they too are the subject of conflicting reports regarding their transformation potential and ability to be genetically manipulated. Here, we synthesized and optimized the protocols for in vitro transformation of duckweed Spirodela polyrhiza (Greater Duckweed) from start-to-finish: achieving >90% - 100% efficiencies for each of calli induction; transient and stable genetic transformation; visual marker-free selection of transformants; and regeneration of genetically modified plants with stable transgene expression for over 100 generations - and which in S. polyrhiza can be achieved over the course of weeks instead of months. The integrated, streamlined approaches for all stages of in vitro transformation overcome many bottlenecks and can help to pave the way for high-throughput functional genomics studies and synthetic biology applications in this biotechnologically-important species.

CRISPR/Cas9↗

PubMed2026

CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of PsLykX gene of pea (Pisum sativum L.) leads to loss of symbiotic nodules.

Pea (Pisum sativum L.) symbiosis with nodule bacteria supplying plants with additional nitrogen is a very specific plant-microbial interaction. Mutual recognition of the partners occurs through perception of bacterial signal molecules (Nod factors) by plant receptors, enabling bacterial entry via root hairs and formation of nitrogen-fixing nodules. The pea gene Sym2, described but not yet cloned, exists in different allelic forms defining the symbiotic specificity, and is therefore thought to encode a Nod factor receptor. The PsLykX gene is a strong candidate for the Sym2, since its alleles coincide with high or low symbiotic specificity; however, to date, no genetic evidence has been obtained for a role of PsLykX in symbiosis. Here, we knocked-out the PsLykX in European pea cultivar Caméor using Agrobacterium-mediated hairy root transformation and CRISPR-Cas9 editing. The roots with editing events confirmed by sequencing lost the ability to form nodules, providing direct functional evidence that PsLykX is essential, at least, for the symbiosis between pea cultivar Caméor and Rhizobium ruizarguesonis RCAM1026.

Pisum sativum↗

PubMed2025

Heritable virus-induced germline editing in tomato.

Here, we report the successful implementation of heritable virus-induced genome editing (VIGE) in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). We generated three transgenic tomato lines expressing Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9) under the control of Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S (35S), S. lycopersicum ribosomal protein S5A (SlRPS5A), or S. lycopersicum YAO promoters (SlYAO). These three lines were tested for somatic and heritable editing using the tobacco rattle virus (TRV)-based system carrying guide RNAs (gRNAs) fused with mobile RNA sequences. TRV with gRNA targeted to Phytoene desaturase (SlPDS) and Downy mildew resistance 6 (SlDMR6) genes fused to mobile RNA sequences showed significant somatic editing efficiency in all three tomato lines expressing SpCas9. However, the progenies from the SlYAO promoter-driven SpCas9 tomato infected with TRV with gRNA targeted to SlDMR6 fused to the mobile RNA sequence resulted in monoallelic mutations with a frequency of 3%. Optimization of environmental conditions, such as reduced light intensity, significantly increased heritable editing frequencies, from 0% to 86% at the SlPDS and from 3% to 100% at the SlDMR6, including biallelic mutations. These findings underscore the use of appropriate promoters to express Cas nucleases and optimized environmental conditions to enhance heritable genome editing efficiency in tomato using VIGE. Furthermore, our method enables the generation of mutants without additional tissue culture or transformation once a SpCas9-expressing tomato line is established.

Solanum lycopersicum↗

PubMed2025

Efficient and versatile rapeseed transformation for new breeding technologies.

Many gene functions are widely studied and understood in Arabidopsis; however, the lack of efficient transformation systems often limits the application and verification of this knowledge in crop plants. Brassica napus L., a member of the Brassicaceae family, is usually transformed by Agrobacterium-mediated hypocotyl transformation, but not all growth types are equally amenable to transformation. In particular, winter rapeseed, which requires vernalization to initiate flowering, is recalcitrant to in vitro regeneration and transformation. The analysis of gene functions in rapeseed is further complicated by the allotetraploid nature of its genome and the genome triplication within the Brassica genus, which has led to the presence of a large number of gene homologs for each Arabidopsis ortholog. We have established a transformation method that facilitates the regeneration of winter rapeseed by using the WUSCHEL gene from Beta vulgaris. This allowed us to efficiently transform a winter and spring rapeseed genotype in small-scale experiments. As proof of principle, we targeted BnCLV3 and BnSPL9/15 with CRISPR/Cas9 and showed that entire gene families are effectively edited using this transformation protocol. This allowed us to simultaneously study many redundantly acting homologous genes in rapeseed. We observed mutant phenotypes for BnCLV3 and BnSPL9/15 in primary transformants, indicating that biallelic knockouts were obtained for up to eight genes. This allowed an initial phenotypic characterization to be performed already a few months after starting the experiment.

Brassica napus↗

PubMed2025

Rice ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 101 increases leaf angle by upregulating BRASSINOSTEROID UPREGULATED 1.

The leaf angle (LA) is a critical component of plant architecture that directly influences photosynthetic efficiency and grain yield. In the present study, we found that ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 101 (OsERF101), an APETALA2/ethylene response factor, plays a role in LA formation. A null mutation in OsERF101 resulted in reduced LA, whereas transgenic plants overexpressing OsERF101 (OsERF101-OEs) exhibited increased LA. OsERF101 increased the development of the adaxial lamina joint (LJ). Transactivation assays and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis indicated that OsERF101 activated BRASSINOSTEROID UPREGULATED 1 (OsBU1) transcription by directly binding to its promoter. However, OsERF101 expression was suppressed by exogenous brassinosteroid (BR) treatment and elevated endogenous brassinolide (BL) levels during LJ development. Additionally, OsERF101 downregulated the expression of BR biosynthesis genes, including Brassinosteroid-deficient dwarf2 (OsBRD2) and CYP90B2/OsDWARF4, leading to reduced levels of endogenous BL, the most active BR, in OsERF101-OEs. These findings suggested that OsERF101 mediates a negative feedback loop that balances endogenous BR levels and signaling. Collectively, rice plants have evolved diverse regulatory mechanisms involving OsERF101 to tune LA formation and optimize plant architecture finely.

Oryza↗

PubMed2025

N-glycan remodeling by α-D-mannosidase and β-D-N-acetylhexosaminidase regulates fruit softening, redox balance, and post-harvest pathogen resistance.

Post-harvest loss of fruits and vegetables poses significant challenges to food security and economic sustainability, primarily due to ripening-associated excessive softening that shortens shelf life and increases susceptibility to pathogens. N-glycans, N-glycoproteins, and their processing enzymes are integral to various plant processes, including fruit ripening. Among these, α-D-mannosidase (α-Man) and β-D-N-acetylhexosaminidase (β-Hex) are key ripening-specific enzymes that modulate fruit softening. Previously, we have shown that RNAi-mediated suppression of α-Man or β-Hex improves fruit shelf life and firmness in both climacteric and non-climacteric fruits. However, the underlying molecular and biochemical basis of fruit softening regulation by α-Man and β-Hex was not well understood. In this study, we developed transgenic tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants by silencing α-Man and β-Hex simultaneously using RNAi. Suppression of these enzymes reduces N-glycoprotein degradation, downregulates pectin dissolution, and inhibits ripening-related gene expression. RNAi fruits exhibited enhanced shelf life, greater firmness, reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and increased resistance against post-harvest pathogens without affecting plant growth, fruit development, yield, or nutritional quality. To further explore the molecular mechanism of α-Man and β-Hex function, we purified and quantified N-glycans in RNAi fruits and other ripening-impaired mutants, identifying key N-glycan species. We also carried out iTRAQ-based quantitative proteome profiling to investigate the abundance of proteins in ripened fruit affected by silencing of α-Man and β-Hex. Molecular insights revealed that N-glycan processing and degradation are key events during ripening, influencing cell wall softening, fruit redox state, and post-harvest quality attributes. This study highlights the potential of co-silencing α-Man and β-Hex as a novel approach to extending the shelf life of fruits, regardless of their climacteric behavior, without compromising quality or yield.

Fruit↗

PubMed2026

Functional study of the AfRAP2 gene in Amorpha fruticosa L. tolerance to saline-alkali and drought stress.

BACKGROUND: Amorpha fruticosa L. is a leguminous shrub with high tolerance to drought, poor soil, and saline-alkali stress conditions. As a member of the family of transcription factors in higher plants, the ethylene response factor AP2/ERF plays a crucial role in both plant adaptation to abiotic stress and in growth and development. In this study, based on genes identified from the transcriptomic sequencing of Amorpha fruticosa L. under drought stress, the upregulated gene AfRAP2 was isolated from its seedlings, with the aim of elucidating its stress-response function using molecular biological techniques. RESULTS: In this study, the AfRAP2 gene was cloned from the leaves of Amorpha fruticosa L. using RT-PCR. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that AfRAP2 contains an AP2 domain and belongs to the DREB subfamily of the AP2/ERF transcription factor family, showing close phylogenetic relationships with LaEREBP from Lathyrus albus. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) results indicate that AfRAP2 is expressed in various tissues of Amorpha fruticosa L., with the highest expression in leaves and the lowest in stems, furthermore, its expression is significantly upregulated in roots and leaves upon induction by NaHCO3 and PEG6000. Subcellular localization experiments confirmed that the AfRAP2 protein is localized to the nucleus, and GUS histochemical staining assay revealed that its promoter drives GUS expression in anthers. Resistance analysis of overexpressing yeast strains showed that yeast transformed with the AfRAP2 gene exhibited significantly better growth under sorbitol, mannitol, and NaHCO3 stress conditions compared to the control, indicating that this gene enhances yeast tolerance to drought and saline-alkali stress. We screened transgenic tobacco and Populus davidiana × P. alba var. Pyramidalis. The results showed that under natural drought and saline-alkali stress treatments, the transgenic lines exhibited significantly improved growth and higher activities of the physiological indicators of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and peroxidase (POD) compared with wild-type plants, indicating that the overexpression of the AfRAP2 gene plays a key role in the response to saline-alkali stress and drought stress. CONCLUSION: In summary, AfRAP2 contains an AP2 domain and belongs to the DREB subfamily of transcription factors, under abiotic stress induced by NaHCO₃ and mannitol, it can induce the expression of the AfRAP2 gene in tobacco and Populus davidiana×P. alba var. pyramidalis. AfRAP2 plays a vital role in the plant response to saline-alkali stress and drought stress and is a promising candidate gene for stress-tolerant breeding.

Plant Proteins↗

PubMed2026

The emerging impact of CRISPR and gene editing on global crop improvement.

The advent of CRISPR-based genome editing has revolutionized crop improvement, offering unprecedented precision and efficiency in modifying key agronomic traits. This review comprehensively examines the mechanisms, applications, and future potential of CRISPR technology in enhancing global crop production. CRISPR-Cas systems, originally identified as adaptive immune mechanisms in bacteria and archaea, have been repurposed for targeted genome editing in plants. The CRISPR-Cas9 system, in particular, has emerged as a powerful tool for introducing site-specific double-strand breaks, enabling precise genetic modifications. The three-stage process of adaptation, expression, and interference underlies the CRISPR mechanism, with guide RNAs directing Cas endonucleases to specific genomic loci. Advances in CRISPR technology have expanded its applications beyond gene knockouts, encompassing base editing, prime editing, and epigenome editing. These innovations have facilitated the development of crops with enhanced yield, stress tolerance, disease resistance, nutritional content, and post-harvest quality. However, challenges related to off-target effects, regulatory hurdles, ethical concerns, and public acceptance must be addressed to fully harness the potential of CRISPR in agriculture. Integration of CRISPR with other cutting-edge technologies, such as synthetic biology, artificial intelligence, and high-throughput phenotyping, holds immense promise for accelerating crop improvement efforts. As research continues to refine CRISPR tools and expand their applicability across diverse plant species, this transformative technology is poised to play a pivotal role in shaping a sustainable, resilient, and productive global food system for future generations.

Gene Editing↗

PubMed2025

Genome editing research initiatives and regulatory landscape of genome edited crops in India.

Food and nutritional security are the top priorities in Indian agriculture. Exponential population growth coupled with climate change effects has become a serious challenge for sustainable agriculture. Genome editing has revolutionized the agricultural sector because of its ability to create precise, stable and predictable modifications in the genome and therefore, offers great opportunities for crop improvement in India. However, for harvesting the real benefits of this technology in agriculture sector, there is a strong need of creating awareness among the end users and development of suitable policies for regularization of genome edited products. Many regulatory agencies around the world have been modernizing their regulatory approaches to be more risk proportionate and to reflect a more science-based approach. In this article, recent research initiatives and developments undertaken by different Indian institutes/organizations for the genetic improvement of agricultural and horticultural crops via genome editing technologies are summarized. Furthermore, to benefit from this potential technology in our country, regulatory policies must be clear, science-based and proportionate. Therefore, in the present review, the regulatory policies related to the genome editing of crop products in India are discussed in detail. This review will sensitize researchers and stakeholders to the application of genome editing techniques in crop improvement and various biosafety committees involved in the development and regulation of genome edited crops.

Crops, Agricultural↗

PubMed2026

Rapid Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and high-efficiency regeneration of finger millet (Eleusine coracana) for crop improvement.

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana) is a nutritionally important and climate-resilient cereal cultivated in rainfed regions of India and Eastern Africa, yet its genetic improvement has been limited by the lack of efficient and reproducible transformation systems. In this study, we developed a rapid and efficient Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation and regeneration system using shoot apical meristem (SAM) explants, enabling direct, callus-free shoot organogenesis. Optimal regeneration and shoot elongation were achieved on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 3.5 mg L⁻1 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), 1.5 mg L⁻1 kinetin, 0.1 mg L⁻1 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), and 0.2 mg L⁻1 gibberellic acid (GA₃). Genotype-dependent responses were observed, with PR-202 requiring 2 mg L⁻1 AgNO3 to reduce phenolic browning, whereas VL-376 regenerated efficiently without AgNO3. Transformation efficiencies of 30-32% were achieved in PR-202 and VL-376, respectively, by optimising infection and co-cultivation conditions, including reduced MS salt strength and pre-incubation of Agrobacterium. Molecular analyses, including PCR and Southern blot hybridisation, confirmed stable T-DNA integration in independent lines, while segregation analysis of T₁ progenies demonstrated Mendelian inheritance of the transgene. In addition, CRISPR/Cas9 constructs targeting EcCKX2 were successfully introduced via Agrobacterium, demonstrating the suitability of this system for genome engineering applications. Overall, this optimised SAM-based protocol provides a rapid (45-50 days), efficient, and reproducible platform for stable genetic transformation in finger millet and establishes a strong foundation for transgenic research and future genome editing studies in this underutilized crop.

Eleusine↗

PubMed2026

Functional characterization of the MdFLZ2 gene in drought and salt stress tolerance in apple.

Drought and salt stress are significant environmental limitations that severely constrain plant growth and productivity, therefore, enhancing stress tolerance is a key goal in crop improvement. The plant-specific FCS-like zinc finger (FLZ) proteins have been identified as important regulators of stress adaptation. In this study, we conducted a genome-wide characterization of the FLZ gene family in apple and functionally characterized MdFLZ2. qRT-PCR analysis revealed that MdFLZ2 was differentially expressed across various tissues and transcriptionally induced by both drought and salt stress. Subcellular localization assays demonstrated that the MdFLZ2 protein is localized to both the nucleus and the cytoplasm. The overexpression of MdFLZ2 in apple calli, Arabidopsis and tomato conferred increased resistance to drought and salt stress. In addition, yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) assays confirmed that MdFLZ2 interacted with MdSnRK1.1, and similar interactions were also detected between other MdFLZ family members and MdSnRK1.1. Collectively, our findings suggest MdFLZ2 as a positive regulator of drought and salt tolerance and highlight its potential to serve as a genetic resource for abiotic stress improvement.

Malus↗

PubMed2026

Genome-wide identification and functional validation of asparagine synthetase genes (NtASNs) in Nicotiana tabacum.

Asparagine (Asn) is pivotal for plant nitrogen (N) metabolism and plays indispensable roles in plant growth, development, and stress tolerance. However, the systematic characteristics and core functions of asparagine synthetase genes (NtASNs) in tobacco remain unclear. Through a comprehensive genome-wide investigation, nine members of the NtASN gene family were identified. Subsequent CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout and overexpression assays of these NtASN genes revealed that NtASN1e, NtASN2a, and NtASN2b are the core genes responsible for Asn biosynthesis in tobacco. Their knockout reduced asparagine synthetase activity and Asn content, delayed seed germination by 2-3 days, and displayed elevated oxidative injury when exposed to salinity conditions. In contrast, overexpression of these genes elevated Asn accumulation. Subcellular localization analysis indicated that NtASN1e was localized to both the cytoplasm and chloroplasts, whereas NtASN2a exhibited dual localization in the cytoplasm and endoplasmic reticulum, and NtASN2b was mainly localized in the cytoplasm. This study systematically clarifies the evolutionary characteristics and core functions of the NtASN gene family and provides candidate genes for optimizing nitrogen metabolism and improving salt-stress adaptation in tobacco. These findings hold important practical significance for molecular breeding and product quality improvement in industrial crops.

Nicotiana↗

PubMed2026

Efficient homologous replacement and deletion of large genomic fragments through template-jumping prime editing in rice.

Homologous replacement of genomic sequences with large DNA fragments (> 100 bp) holds great potential for crop breeding, yet an efficient method to achieve such edits is lacking in plants. Here, in rice, we developed template-jumping prime editing (TJ-PE), a recently reported PE strategy for large targeted insertion, as an efficient tool for homologous replacement with DNA fragments ranging from dozens to hundreds of base pairs, and using TJ-PE, we replaced genomic fragments of up to 340 bp with homologous fragments of the same length. In addition, our TJ-PE tool also enabled precise deletion of 944- to 2024-bp fragments in rice, with efficiencies of up to 34.6% for c. 2000-bp precise deletions. Collectively, this study expands the editing scope of PE in rice and establishes TJ-PE as a generalist tool for precise deletion and replacement of large DNA fragments.

Oryza↗