Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Joanna E. Kowalczyk, Shreya Saha, Miia R. Makela
Summary: Dichomitus squalens is an emerging reference species for investigating plant biomass degradation. Recent genomic studies have provided detailed knowledge of the genes and enzymes involved in lignocellulose breakdown in this fungus. Developing efficient genetic manipulation tools is crucial for utilizing this data, as precise genome alterations are often challenging in wild-type basidiomycetes.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xiabing Sheng, Zhiyong Ai, Yanning Tan, Yuanyi Hu, Xiayu Guo, Xiaolin Liu, Zhizhong Sun, Dong Yu, Jin Chen, Ning Tang, Meijuan Duan, Dingyang Yuan
Summary: Climate change has led to increased salinity in many areas, particularly in coastal mud flats, which affects rice productivity. This study successfully developed new salt-tolerant rice germplasms through CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology combined with heterosis utilization. By developing hybrid rice varieties, a new generation of rice with high salinity tolerance was cultivated.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Sonia Khan Sony, Tanushri Kaul, Khaled Fathy Abdel Motelb, Arulprakash Thangaraj, Jyotsna Bharti, Rashmi Kaul, Rachana Verma, Mamta Nehra
Summary: Globally, CRISPR-Cas9-based genome editing has revolutionized crop advancements, with the development of glyphosate-resistant rice lines showing increased glyphosate resistance, enhanced aromatic amino acids, and improved grain yields. The strategy involves site-specific amino acid substitutions and modification of the OsEPSPS gene through CRISPR-Cas9-mediated genome editing. The results provide a novel weed management approach without yield penalties and a higher chance of commercial release.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Cell Biology
Joseph Andrew Whitley, Houjian Cai
Summary: Clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats (CRISPR) is a gene editing tool with great therapeutic potential. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as a promising therapeutic delivery vehicle for CRISPR RNP encapsulation. Different strategies have been identified to encapsulate CRISPR RNP into EVs based on genetic fusion, protein tethering, and sgRNA-coupled encapsulation. Incorporating targeting moieties to EVs membrane surface can increase delivery efficiency. However, there are still limitations preventing the use of these strategies in clinical trials.
JOURNAL OF EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nahyun Lee, Jiyeun Park, Jung-Eun Kim, Ji Young Shin, Kyunghun Min, Hokyoung Son
Summary: This study describes a CRISPR-Cas9-based genome-editing tool for direct delivery of preassembled Cas9 ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) into the protoplasts of F. graminearum. The use of RNPs significantly improves the efficiency of gene replacement and allows for large-scale functional analysis and difficult gene deletion.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marina Zoppo, Nicole Okoniewski, Stanislav Pantelyushin, Johannes vom Berg, Kristin Schirmer
Summary: This study developed a strategy to CRISPR/Cas9 gene edit rainbow trout cell lines, achieving a gene editing efficiency of 39%. By using cloning cylinders, two monoclonal CRISPR edited rainbow trout cell lines were established for the first time, confirming the disruption of the cyp1a1 gene.
CELL AND BIOSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zsolt Bodai, Alena L. Bishop, Valentino M. Gantz, Alexis C. Komor
Summary: Programmable double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs) can be harnessed for precision genome editing through manipulation of the homology-directed repair (HDR) pathway. This study introduces a general strategy called the double tap method, which improves HDR-mediated precision editing efficiency by taking advantage of the reproducible nature of indel sequences. The method utilizes multiple gRNAs, including a primary gRNA that targets the wild-type genomic sequence and one or more secondary gRNAs that target the most common indel sequence(s).
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xing Chen, Qing Tan, Qingyang Lyu, Chengxuan Yu, Na Jiang, Jianqiang Li, Laixin Luo
Summary: The study presents an efficient unmarked CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing system for Clavibacter michiganensis, enabling site-directed mutagenesis and complete gene knockout. The inclusion of codA::upp in the transformation vector allowed for counterselection of unmarked mutants, making the system more convenient and reusable for editing multiple genes.
MOLECULAR PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Rajesh Yarra, Lingaraj Sahoo
Summary: Base editing is a promising genome editing tool for generating single-nucleotide changes in the rice genome, which is essential for developing new rice varieties with desirable agronomic traits to sustain global food security. Base editing technology utilizes adenosine or cytidine base editors for precise editing at the target region, making it an efficient and reliable tool for rice crop improvement. This review discusses different adenine and cytosine base editors developed for precise genome editing of rice, addressing the current progress, advances, limitations, and future perspectives of base editing technology for rice crop improvement.
PLANT CELL REPORTS
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shuai Ding, Jinfeng Liu, Xin Han, Mengfan Tang
Summary: The CRISPR/Cas9 system, a highly efficient and accurate gene editing tool, has been widely applied in cancer research. Its utilization in CAR-T-cell therapy, tumor model establishment, and gene and drug target screening has propelled the investigation of cancer molecular mechanisms and the advancement of precision medicine. However, the therapeutic potential of genome editing remains underexplored and may pose risks of additional genetic mutations.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jinlian Yang, Yaoyu Fang, Hu Wu, Neng Zhao, Xinying Guo, Enerand Mackon, Haowen Peng, Sheng Huang, Yongqiang He, Baoxiang Qin, Yaoguang Liu, Fang Liu, Shengwu Chen, Rongbai Li
Summary: In this study, CRISPR/Cas9 technology was used to edit the genes of rice 58B, resulting in the development of a mutant variety 58b with improved resistance to rice blast and bacterial leaf streak. The edited genes did not have any adverse effects on the agronomic traits of rice. This study provides a reference for utilizing CRISPR/Cas9 technology to enhance the disease resistance of rice varieties and develop new materials for rice breeding.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Chao Fan, Wei Zhang, Xiaoyun Su, Wangli Ji, Huiying Luo, Yuhong Zhang, Bo Liu, Bin Yao, Huoqing Huang, Xinxin Xu
Summary: In this study, a CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing system was successfully established in H. insolens. By disrupting the pks and xyr1 genes, the important role of Xyr1 in cellulase expression regulation was demonstrated. This system allows efficient single gene destruction and accelerates research on the cellulase production regulation mechanism in H. insolens.
BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Peng Yang, Athena Yue-Tung Lee, Jingjing Xue, Shih-Jie Chou, Calvin Lee, Patrick Tseng, Tiffany X. Zhang, Yazhen Zhu, Junseok Lee, Shih-Hwa Chiou, Hsian-Rong Tseng
Summary: The CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing system has revolutionized the field of therapeutic applications for genetic diseases and cancers. Efficient delivery of the system in vivo remains a significant challenge. Non-viral nano-vectors offer advantages over viral vectors and can be used to deliver CRISPR/Cas9 cargoes for targeted gene editing. The article highlights recent advances in nano-vector delivery for treating cancers and genetic diseases and proposes strategies for future development.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Christopher E. Denes, Alexander J. Cole, Yagiz Alp Aksoy, Geng Li, Graham Gregory Neely, Daniel Hesselson
Summary: Genome modification holds great potential for disease prevention or treatment, with CRISPR/Cas9 techniques showing promise in altering disease-relevant genes. Competition among DNA repair pathways can lead to undesirable editing outcomes, but small molecule modulators and engineered CRISPR/Cas proteins have been shown to enhance precision editing efficacy.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Business
Anny Lucrece Nlend Nkott, Ludovic Temple
Summary: The study reveals that the acceptability of genome editing techniques requires strengthening the seed system, assessing the effects of edited varieties, and enhancing the technical and human capacities of biosafety bodies. Structural mechanisms for regulating the seed system are necessary to ensure safe experimentation of genome editing techniques. Organizational innovation and collective learning between communities of scientists and nonscientists are identified as essential components of varietal innovation processes.
TECHNOLOGICAL FORECASTING AND SOCIAL CHANGE
(2021)
Review
Plant Sciences
Caiyun Liu, Nicholas J. Talbot, Xiao-Lin Chen
Summary: Glycosylation in plant pathogenic fungi, especially in Ustilago maydis and Magnaporthe oryzae, has received significant attention in recent years. The roles of N-glycosylation, O-glycosylation, and GPI anchors in fungal pathogenesis during plant infection are crucial and could provide novel strategies for disease control.
Article
Plant Sciences
Federico Lopez-Moya, Magdalena Martin-Urdiroz, Miriam Oses-Ruiz, Vincent M. Were, Mark D. Fricker, George Littlejohn, Luis V. Lopez-Llorca, Nicholas J. Talbot
Summary: Chitosan is an effective fungicide for controlling rice blast disease by inhibiting fungal growth and affecting infection cell polarization. It disrupts plasma membrane function, inhibits septin-mediated plant infection, and requires the cell integrity pathway to function.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Alice Bisola Eseola, Lauren S. Ryder, Miriam Oses-Ruiz, Kim Findlay, Xia Yan, Neftaly Cruz-Mireles, Camilla Molinari, Marisela Garduno-Rosales, Nicholas J. Talbot
Summary: This article introduces the mechanisms by which the rice blast pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae infects and spreads in host cells, including the development of appressoria, intracellular autophagy, effector protein secretion, and the specialized structures involved in cell-to-cell spread. The article provides a comprehensive overview of the morphogenetic transitions in rice blast disease within plant tissue, with a focus on live cell imaging studies.
FUNGAL GENETICS AND BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Shuzhen Deng, Lin Xu, Zhe Xu, Wuyun Lv, Zhengxian Chen, Nan Yang, Nicholas J. Talbot, Zhengyi Wang
Summary: MoSom1 protein is critical for appressorium differentiation and pathogenicity in M. oryzae. Serine 227 (S) in MoSom1 was identified as a key PKA phosphorylation site. Pmk1 MAPK acts downstream of MoSom1 in M. oryzae.
CELLULAR MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Samuel K. Mutiga, Felix Rotich, Vincent M. Were, John M. Kimani, David T. Mwongera, Emmanuel Mgonja, Geoffrey Onaga, Kadougoudiou Konate, Claudine Razanaboahirana, Joseph Bigirimana, Alexis Ndayiragije, Emily Gichuhi, Mary J. Yanoria, Miriam Otipa, Lusike Wasilwa, Ibrahima Ouedraogo, Thomas Mitchell, Guo-Liang Wang, James C. Correll, Nicholas J. Talbot
Summary: Rice is a key food security crop in Africa, and efforts are being made at country-specific, regional, and multinational levels to develop germplasm and policies to boost production. Rice blast disease remains a major constraint to rice production in sub-Saharan Africa, and multinational collaborative research efforts are essential in enhancing sustainable rice production and advancing regional policies. Through international partnerships, progress has been made in establishing networks for disease surveillance, engaging with farmers, monitoring pathogen virulence, and developing blast-resistant rice varieties.
Article
Microbiology
Neftaly Cruz-Mireles, Alice Bisola Eseola, Miriam Oses-Ruiz, Lauren S. Ryder, Nicholas J. Talbot
Article
Cell Biology
Lauren S. Ryder, Neftaly Cruz-Mireles, Camilla Molinari, Iris Eisermann, Alice B. Eseola, Nicholas J. Talbot
Summary: Many plant pathogenic fungi infect their hosts using specialised cells called appressoria, which apply force or enzymes to break through the plant surface. Appressoria also suppress plant immunity and develop in response to physical characteristics of the leaf surface. The morphogenesis of appressoria is linked to cellular reorganization and cell wall remodelling.
JOURNAL OF CELL SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Iris Eisermann, Marisela Garduno-Rosales, Nicholas J. Talbot
Summary: Fungal pathogens undergo specific morphogenetic transitions to invade plants, and the ability to change cell shape is crucial for them. Septin GTPases play important roles in actin remodeling, plasma membrane curvature sensing, and cell polarity, and their assemblages are involved in cell shape changes and formation of infection structures in plant cells. This review focuses on the functions of septins in plant pathogenic fungi, particularly in invasive growth, and discusses their potential as targets for broad-spectrum antifungal plant protection strategies.
Article
Ecology
Richard J. Lindsay, Philippa J. Holder, Nicholas J. Talbot, Ivana Gudelj
Summary: A cornerstone assumption of classical virulence evolution theories, that pathogen growth rate is positively correlated with virulence, has been called into question by empirical evidence. By modifying a single metabolic gene, we engineered strains of Magnaporthe oryzae with different growth rates and conducted infection studies, revealing a non-monotonic relationship between growth rate and virulence. This novel framework provides a basis for developing new virulence evolution theories.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xia Yan, Bozeng Tang, Lauren S. Ryder, Dan MacLean, Vincent M. Were, Alice Bisola Eseola, Neftaly Cruz-Mireles, Weibin Ma, Andrew J. Foster, Miriam Oses-Ruiz, Nicholas J. Talbot
Summary: The rice blast fungus is a major threat to global rice production. This study provides a detailed understanding of the biology behind the invasion of plant tissues during the disease. Through transcriptional profiling, the study identifies specific gene expression changes and a repertoire of effectors critical for successful infection.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ely Oliveira-Garcia, Tej Man Tamang, Jungeun Park, Melinda Dalby, Magdalena Martin-Urdiroz, Clara Rodriguez Herrero, An Hong Vu, Sunghun Park, Nicholas J. Talbot, Barbara Valent
Summary: Fungi and oomycetes secrete effector proteins into living plant cells to suppress defenses and control plant processes. This study reveals that the blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae packages cytoplasmic effectors into membranous compartments before translocating them into the plant cytoplasm. It demonstrates that clathrin-mediated endocytosis plays a crucial role in effector translocation, suggesting a manipulation of plant endocytosis by M. oryzae effectors.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alejandra Martinez-D'Alto, Xia Yan, Tyler C. Detomasi, Richard I. Sayler, William C. Thomas, Nicholas J. Talbot, Michael A. Marletta
Summary: Blast disease caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae leads to significant crop loss in cereal plants. The study shows that the expression of the putative polysaccharide monooxygenase MoPMO9A is increased during infection. MoPMO9A exhibits activity on cereal-derived mixed β-D-glucans and its domain architecture is different from other characterized AA9 PMOs. The results suggest that MoPMO9A plays a role in MBG degradation during plant infection.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sergio Latorre, Vincent Were, Andrew Foster, Thorsten Langner, Angus Malmgren, Adeline Harant, Soichiro Asuke, Sarai Reyes-Avila, Dipali Rani Gupta, Cassandra Jensen, Weibin M. Ma, Nur Uddin Mahmud, Md. Shabab Mehebub, Rabson Mulenga, Abu Naim Md. Muzahid, Sanjoy Kumar Paul, S. M. Fajle Rabby, Abdullah Al Mahbub Rahat, Lauren M. Ryder, Ram-Krishna Shrestha, Suwilanji R. Sichilima, Darren Soanes, Pawan Kumar Singh, Alison Bentley, Diane G. O. H. Saunders, Yukio Tosa, Daniel Croll, Kurt Lamour, Tofazzal J. Islam, Batiseba Tembo, Joe Win, Nicholas Talbot, Hernan A. Burbano, Sophien Kamoun
Summary: Wheat, a vital food crop, is being threatened by a pandemic of the blast disease. Research reveals that a clonal lineage of the wheat blast fungus has spread to Asia and Africa from South America. The lineage can be controlled by a disease resistance gene and fungicides, but there is a potential for the clone to evolve resistance to fungicides and sexually recombine with African lineages. Genomic surveillance is urgently needed to track and mitigate the spread of wheat blast and guide breeding for resistant varieties.
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Vincent Were, Nicholas J. Talbot
Summary: Genome editing is a transformative technology that allows precise alteration of specific genes, enabling the development of disease-resistant crops. However, genetic modification has been more effective than genome editing in introducing new forms of disease resistance to crops.
Article
Microbiology
Lauren S. Ryder, Sergio G. Lopez, Lucile Michels, Alice B. Eseola, Joris Sprakel, Weibin Ma, Nicholas J. Talbot
NATURE MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)