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Longkumer T, Grillet L, Chang HY, Lường TC, Chen CY, Putra H, Schmidt W, Verslues PE. Insertion of YFP at P5CS1 and AFL1 shows the potential, and potential complications, of gene tagging for functional analyses of stress-related proteins. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2024; 47:2011-2026. [PMID: 38392921 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Crispr/CAS9-enabled homologous recombination to insert a tag in frame with an endogenous gene can circumvent difficulties such as context-dependent promoter activity that complicate analysis of gene expression and protein accumulation patterns. However, there have been few reports examining whether such gene targeting/gene tagging (GT) can alter expression of the target gene. The enzyme encoded by Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase 1 (P5CS1) is key for stress-induced proline synthesis and drought resistance, yet its expression pattern and protein localisation have been difficult to assay. We used GT to insert YFP in frame with the 5' or 3' ends of the endogenous P5CS1 and At14a-Like 1 (AFL1) coding regions. Insertion at the 3' end of either gene generated homozygous lines with expression of the gene-YFP fusion indistinguishable from the wild type allele. However, for P5CS1 this occurred only after selfing and advancement to the T5 generation allowed initial homozygous lethality of the insertion to be overcome. Once this was done, the GT-generated P5CS1-YFP plants revealed new information about P5CS1 localisation and tissue-specific expression. In contrast, insertion of YFP at the 5' end of either gene blocked expression. The results demonstrate that GT can be useful for functional analyses of genes that are problematic to properly express by other means but also show that, in some cases, GT can disrupt expression of the target gene.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Louis Grillet
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Agricultural Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hao-Yi Chang
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Tài Chiến Lường
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Yun Chen
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hadi Putra
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wolfgang Schmidt
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Paul E Verslues
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
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Guzmán-Benito I, Achkar NP, Bologna N, Ursache R. CRISPR/Cas-mediated inplanta gene targeting: current advances and challenges. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2023:erad072. [PMID: 36861321 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erad072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
We can use gene targeting (GT) to make modifications at a specific region in a plant's genome and create high-precision tools for plant biotechnology and breeding. However, its low efficiency is a major barrier to its use in plants. The discovery of CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)-Cas-based site-specific nucleases capable of inducing double-strand breaks in desired loci resulted in the development of novel approaches for plant GT. Several studies have recently demonstrated improvements in GT efficiency through cell-type-specific expression of Cas nucleases, the use of self-amplified GT-vector DNA, or manipulation of RNA silencing and DNA repair pathways. In this review, we summarize recent advances in CRISPR/Cas-mediated GT in plants and discuss potential efficiency improvements. Increasing the efficiency of GT technology will help us pave the way for increased crop yields and food safety in environmentally friendly agriculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Guzmán-Benito
- The Department of Plant Molecular Biology, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Natalia Patricia Achkar
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Bellaterra, Barcelona 08193, Spain
| | - Nicolas Bologna
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Bellaterra, Barcelona 08193, Spain
| | - Robertas Ursache
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Bellaterra, Barcelona 08193, Spain
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3
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Recent Advances in Antibiotic-Free Markers; Novel Technologies to Enhance Safe Human Food Production in the World. Mol Biotechnol 2022:10.1007/s12033-022-00609-7. [DOI: 10.1007/s12033-022-00609-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Chen H, Neubauer M, Wang JP. Enhancing HR Frequency for Precise Genome Editing in Plants. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:883421. [PMID: 35592579 PMCID: PMC9113527 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.883421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Gene-editing tools, such as Zinc-fingers, TALENs, and CRISPR-Cas, have fostered a new frontier in the genetic improvement of plants across the tree of life. In eukaryotes, genome editing occurs primarily through two DNA repair pathways: non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) and homologous recombination (HR). NHEJ is the primary mechanism in higher plants, but it is unpredictable and often results in undesired mutations, frameshift insertions, and deletions. Homology-directed repair (HDR), which proceeds through HR, is typically the preferred editing method by genetic engineers. HR-mediated gene editing can enable error-free editing by incorporating a sequence provided by a donor template. However, the low frequency of native HR in plants is a barrier to attaining efficient plant genome engineering. This review summarizes various strategies implemented to increase the frequency of HDR in plant cells. Such strategies include methods for targeting double-strand DNA breaks, optimizing donor sequences, altering plant DNA repair machinery, and environmental factors shown to influence HR frequency in plants. Through the use and further refinement of these methods, HR-based gene editing may one day be commonplace in plants, as it is in other systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Chen
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, Program in Genetics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China
| | - Matthew Neubauer
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, Program in Genetics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Jack P. Wang
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, Forest Biotechnology Group, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
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Miki D, Wang R, Li J, Kong D, Zhang L, Zhu JK. Gene Targeting Facilitated by Engineered Sequence-Specific Nucleases: Potential Applications for Crop Improvement. PLANT & CELL PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 62:752-765. [PMID: 33638992 PMCID: PMC8484935 DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcab034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Humans are currently facing the problem of how to ensure that there is enough food to feed all of the world's population. Ensuring that the food supply is sufficient will likely require the modification of crop genomes to improve their agronomic traits. The development of engineered sequence-specific nucleases (SSNs) paved the way for targeted gene editing in organisms, including plants. SSNs generate a double-strand break (DSB) at the target DNA site in a sequence-specific manner. These DSBs are predominantly repaired via error-prone non-homologous end joining and are only rarely repaired via error-free homology-directed repair if an appropriate donor template is provided. Gene targeting (GT), i.e. the integration or replacement of a particular sequence, can be achieved with combinations of SSNs and repair donor templates. Although its efficiency is extremely low, GT has been achieved in some higher plants. Here, we provide an overview of SSN-facilitated GT in higher plants and discuss the potential of GT as a powerful tool for generating crop plants with desirable features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisuke Miki
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology and Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Rui Wang
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology and Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jing Li
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology and Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Dali Kong
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology and Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology and Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jian-Kang Zhu
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology and Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
- Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
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Čermák T. Sequence modification on demand: search and replace tools for precise gene editing in plants. Transgenic Res 2021; 30:353-379. [PMID: 34086167 DOI: 10.1007/s11248-021-00253-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Until recently, our ability to generate allelic diversity in plants was limited to introduction of variants from domesticated and wild species by breeding via uncontrolled recombination or the use of chemical and physical mutagens-processes that are lengthy and costly or lack specificity, respectively. Gene editing provides a faster and more precise way to create new variation, although its application in plants has been dominated by the creation of short insertion and deletion mutations leading to loss of gene function, mostly due to the dependence of editing outcomes on DNA repair pathway choices intrinsic to higher eukaryotes. Other types of edits such as point mutations and precise and pre-designed targeted sequence insertions have rarely been implemented, despite providing means to modulate the expression of target genes or to engineer the function and stability of their protein products. Several advancements have been developed in recent years to facilitate custom editing by regulation of repair pathway choices or by taking advantage of alternative types of DNA repair. We have seen the advent of novel gene editing tools that are independent of DNA double-strand break repair, and methods completely independent of host DNA repair processes are being increasingly explored. With the aim to provide a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art methodology for allele replacement in plants, I discuss the adoption of these improvements for plant genome engineering.
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