Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hao Hu, Fengqun Yu
Summary: Transgenic or genetically modified crops are heavily regulated worldwide due to biosafety concerns, but cisgenic crops have higher public acceptance. A CRISPR/Cas9-based vector system has been developed for cisgenic plant breeding, allowing the delivery of target gene-of-interest (GOI) while removing undesired genetic traces. In a proof-of-concept study in Arabidopsis thaliana, the GOI was successfully incorporated and the selection marker and CRISPR/Cas9 components were removed. The vector system demonstrated high editing efficiency and no off-target mutations were identified.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Ferenz Sustek-Sanchez, Odd Arne Rognli, Nils Rostoks, Merike Somera, Kristina Jaskune, Mallikarjuna Rao Kovi, Grazina Statkeviciute, Cecilia Sarmiento
Summary: To meet the growing demand for food and adapt to climate change, there is a need for high-yielding crops that can withstand abiotic stresses. Genome editing, particularly using the CRISPR-Cas system, has shown promise in developing stress-resistant plants. This review focuses on the application of genome editing in improving forage grasses' resilience to drought, salt, heat, and cold stresses.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Muhammad Haroon, Xiukang Wang, Rabail Afzal, Muhammad Mubashar Zafar, Fahad Idrees, Maria Batool, Abdul Saboor Khan, Muhammad Imran
Summary: Cereals are the main source of human food, but meeting the ever-increasing food demand is becoming challenging due to the changing environment and diseases. Plant breeders are using both conventional breeding methods and genome editing tools to increase cereal production. Recent advancements in genome editing tools have enabled precise and rapid editing of the cereal genome. However, there are still bottlenecks associated with genome editing tools that can be overcome by integrating them with improved conventional breeding methods.
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Gauri Nerkar, Suman Devarumath, Madhavi Purankar, Atul Kumar, R. Valarmathi, Rachayya Devarumath, C. Appunu
Summary: The challenges posed by global climate change and various unfavorable factors in agriculture have led to the emergence of genome editing technology, which provides a new approach to improving crop productivity. The technology enables precise modification of crop genomes, accelerating the breeding process and enhancing efficiency.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Evelyn Chen, Enrique Lin-Shiao, Marena Trinidad, Mohammad Saffari Doost, David Colognori, Jennifer A. Doudna
Summary: The fusion of PRDM9 and Cas9 in CRISPR-Cas genome editing can increase the efficiency of homology-directed repair (HDR) and avoid off-target editing.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Yuri Gogolev, Sunny Ahmar, Bala Ani Akpinar, Hikmet Budak, Alexey S. Kiryushkin, Vladimir Y. Gorshkov, Goetz Hensel, Kirill N. Demchenko, Igor Kovalchuk, Freddy Mora-Poblete, Tugdem Muslu, Ivan D. Tsers, Narendra Singh Yadav, Viktor Korzun
Summary: The success of crop breeding and agricultural innovation in the last century led to the Green Revolution, but new challenges like rapid climate change require faster responses and innovative solutions. Utilizing high-throughput technologies and new tools to design new plant genomes will be crucial for increasing agricultural efficiency and facing these challenges.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Luca Nerva, Lorenza Dalla Costa, Angelo Ciacciulli, Silvia Sabbadini, Vera Pavese, Luca Dondini, Elisa Vendramin, Emilia Caboni, Irene Perrone, Andrea Moglia, Sara Zenoni, Vania Michelotti, Sabrina Micali, Stefano La Malfa, Alessandra Gentile, Stefano Tartarini, Bruno Mezzetti, Roberto Botta, Ignazio Verde, Riccardo Velasco, Mickael Arnaud Malnoy, Concetta Licciardello
Summary: Climate change is affecting food chain production, leading to reduced quality and yield. The international scientific community is working on enhancing resilience in agriculture. Italy, a major European producer of fruit trees, has taken initiatives to maintain the specificity of the 'Made in Italy' label. However, conventional breeding approaches face challenges in terms of financial commitment, land resources availability, and long generation times.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Sunny Ahmar, Goetz Hensel, Damian Gruszka
Summary: Cereal crops play a significant role in human consumption and animal feed, but face challenges from climate change and population expansion. Gene-editing technologies, such as CRISPR/Cas9, offer a potential solution to develop stress-tolerant and high-yielding cereal varieties. However, there are challenges to overcome, including time-consuming processes, limited genotypes for transformation, and restrictive regulations on genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
BIOTECHNOLOGY ADVANCES
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sajid Fiaz, Sunny Ahmar, Sajjad Saeed, Aamir Riaz, Freddy Mora-Poblete, Ki-Hung Jung
Summary: Achieving a world with zero hunger requires sustainable increase in food production and distribution, as well as the elimination of poverty. Innovation in plant breeding is crucial in addressing agricultural challenges and achieving sustainable crop production.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Olga Kershanskaya, Gulvira L. Yessenbaeva, Darya S. Nelidova, Aizhan N. Karabekova, Zarina N. Sadullaeva
Summary: The CRISPR/Cas9 technology has the potential to improve crop breeding efficiency and antiviral defense, and its application in barley breeding has shown promising results.
PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Syed Inzimam Ul Haq, Dianfeng Zheng, Naijie Feng, Xingyu Jiang, Feng Qiao, Jin-Sheng He, Quan-Sheng Qiu
Summary: This review summarizes the advances of CRISPR/Cas9 technology in plant genome editing and discusses its applications in forage breeding, as well as the potential and challenges.
JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maria Amparo Perez-Oliver, Maria del Carmen Gonzalez-Mas, Begona Renau-Morata, Isabel Arrillaga, Ester Sales
Summary: Previous research has shown that heat priming can improve the resilience of maritime pine. In this study, we found that heat-primed plants showed increased tolerance to mild drought stress, as evidenced by their physiological differences, gene expression, and antioxidant enzyme production.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Julia Popova, Victoria Bets, Elena Kozhevnikova
Summary: Genome editing has practical applications in farm animals, improving production traits, economic value, and disease resistance. It also has potential in biomedical research and drug production, as well as xenograft donors. Recent advancements in site-specific nucleases and embryological delivery methods have revolutionized transgenesis, providing efficient and reliable tools for genome engineering in agriculture.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hymavathi Salava, Sravankumar Thula, Vijee Mohan, Rahul Kumar, Fatemeh Maghuly
Summary: Genome editing tools are being widely used to improve crop resistance and quality, particularly in tomatoes. Researchers have successfully manipulated many genes to enhance tomato tolerance to abiotic stresses. The genome editing technologies, such as CRISPR/Cas9, are considered fast and efficient for crop improvement.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Minghui Sun, Zhuo Yang, Li Liu, Liu Duan
Summary: Plants, being sessile, have developed various strategies to adapt and regulate abiotic stresses. DNA methylation, an epigenetic regulation system, has been extensively studied in its role in regulating genome functioning and inducing plant resistance and adaptation to abiotic stresses. This review provides an updated account on the role of DNA methylation in plant responses and adaptations to drought, high temperature, cold, salt, and heavy metal stresses, as well as discussing stress memory regulated by DNA methylation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Soil Science
Luca Nerva, Gaetano Giudice, Gabriela Quiroga, Nicola Belfiore, Lorenzo Lovat, Rita Perria, Maria Grazia Volpe, Loredana Moffa, Marco Sandrini, Federica Gaiotti, Raffaella Balestrini, Walter Chitarra
Summary: This study demonstrates the positive impact of AM symbiosis on growth-defence tradeoff in young grapevine cuttings, indicating the involvement of the whole root microbiome in balancing this relationship. Additionally, it shows that rootstock genotypes and treatments can shape root-associated microbes, stimulating both plant growth and defense pathways.
BIOLOGY AND FERTILITY OF SOILS
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marco Sandrini, Luca Nerva, Fabiano Sillo, Raffaella Balestrini, Walter Chitarra, Elisa Zampieri
Summary: Nowadays, global agriculture is transitioning towards more sustainable production by reducing chemical inputs and preserving microbiomes' richness and biodiversity. Plant-associated microorganisms have shown great potential in improving agriculture sustainability and helping plants cope with harsh environments.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Luca Nerva, Micol Guaschino, Chiara Pagliarani, Mirko De Rosso, Claudio Lovisolo, Walter Chitarra
Summary: In the face of increasing drought severity due to climate change, the study demonstrated that the SIGS technique targeting a grape GST gene enhanced drought resilience in 'Chardonnay' cuttings. The treated plants showed primed status and improved ecophysiological responses, highlighting the potential of SIGS for plant protection and functional genomic studies.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gabriella Consonni, Giulia Castorina, Serena Varotto
Summary: This paper introduces the research work carried out by the Italian scientific community on the genetic control of maize seed development and seed-related pathways, and highlights their contributions to the characterization of maize mutants and the improvement of maize genomics.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Laura Zanin, Luca Nerva, Massimiliano Alessandrini, Diego Tomasi, Roberto Pinton, Marco Lucchetta, Walter Chitarra, Federica Gaiotti
Summary: This study investigated how grapevines absorb nitrogen at a physiological and molecular level throughout the annual cycle. The results showed that under the given climate conditions, grapevines were able to take up nitrate when it was applied in spring or in spring and post-harvest. The study also found that fractionated fertilization did not negatively affect the yield and quality of the vines.
JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE AND PLANT NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Camilla Sacco Botto, Slavica Matic, Amedeo Moine, Walter Chitarra, Luca Nerva, Chiara D'Errico, Chiara Pagliarani, Emanuela Noris
Summary: Drought stress is a major factor affecting agricultural production by negatively impacting plant growth and metabolism. Previous research has shown that viruses, such as the tomato yellow leaf curl virus, can enhance a plant's ability to tolerate both drought and heat stress. However, the underlying mechanisms for this induced drought tolerance need further investigation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Luca Nerva, Lorenza Dalla Costa, Angelo Ciacciulli, Silvia Sabbadini, Vera Pavese, Luca Dondini, Elisa Vendramin, Emilia Caboni, Irene Perrone, Andrea Moglia, Sara Zenoni, Vania Michelotti, Sabrina Micali, Stefano La Malfa, Alessandra Gentile, Stefano Tartarini, Bruno Mezzetti, Roberto Botta, Ignazio Verde, Riccardo Velasco, Mickael Arnaud Malnoy, Concetta Licciardello
Summary: Climate change is affecting food chain production, leading to reduced quality and yield. The international scientific community is working on enhancing resilience in agriculture. Italy, a major European producer of fruit trees, has taken initiatives to maintain the specificity of the 'Made in Italy' label. However, conventional breeding approaches face challenges in terms of financial commitment, land resources availability, and long generation times.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Demetrio Marciano, Valentina Ricciardi, Giuliana Maddalena, Annamaria Massafra, Elena Marone Fassolo, Simona Masiero, Piero Attilio Bianco, Osvaldo Failla, Gabriella De Lorenzis, Silvia Laura Toffolatti
Summary: Downy mildew, caused by Plasmopara viticola, is a major threat to viticulture. Nitrogen fertilization affects disease severity but not the expression of susceptibility/resistance genes. Exploiting these genes could lead to new environmentally friendly disease management tools.
Article
Plant Sciences
Davide Bianchi, Valentina Ricciardi, Carola Pozzoli, Daniele Grossi, Leila Caramanico, Massimo Pindo, Erika Stefani, Alessandro Cestaro, Lucio Brancadoro, Gabriella De Lorenzis
Summary: The response of grapevines to drought is influenced by the interaction between the scion variety and the rootstock genotype. Under severe water deficit conditions, the rootstock genotype has a greater impact on gas exchange and stem water potential. The 1103P shows avoidance behavior, while the 101-14MGt exhibits a tolerance strategy. Transcriptomic analysis reveals that most differentially expressed genes are detected in roots, with a core set of genes related to the root response to drought being unaffected by genotype or grafting.
Article
Plant Sciences
Giulio Catarcione, Anna Rita Paolacci, Enrica Alicandri, Elena Gramiccia, Paola Taviani, Roberto Rea, Maria Teresa Costanza, Gabriella De Lorenzis, Guglielmo Puccio, Francesco Mercati, Mario Ciaffi
Summary: A study was conducted to characterize 114 accessions of 66 landraces of common beans in the Lazio region. The genetic analysis showed that the P. vulgaris germplasm in the region has a high level of genetic diversity, with the Andean gene pool prevailing and 12% of landraces representing putative hybrids. The combination of morphological, biochemical, and molecular data allowed for the differentiation of all landraces and the resolution of certain cases of homonymy and synonymy.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dora Scarpin, Luca Nerva, Walter Chitarra, Loredana Moffa, Francesca D'Este, Marco Vuerich, Antonio Filippi, Enrico Braidot, Elisa Petrussa
Summary: In order to reduce the environmental impact of phytosanitary treatments, researchers have developed technologies using molecular mechanisms based on short dsRNA sequences to modulate metabolism. These techniques can be protected and delivered efficiently to plant leaves using nanocarriers. This study developed a specific protocol to synthesize chitosan nanoparticles (NPs) and load them with nucleotides. The size, surface charge, and nucleotide retention capacity of the NPs were analyzed, and their distribution and fate on plant leaves were studied. The NPs also demonstrated increased efficacy in dsRNA interference and inhibition of Botrytis cinerea.
BIOSCIENCE REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Federica Gaiotti, Luca Nerva, Gianni Fila, Lorenzo Lovat, Nicola Belfiore, Walter Chitarra
Summary: This study examines the physiological and structural mechanisms of three extensively cultivated grape varieties from Northern Italy in response to water stress. The findings reveal different water-use strategies among the varieties and identify leaf angle adjustment as a common adaptive response to drought.
PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Elisa Fasani, Gianluigi Giannelli, Serena Varotto, Giovanna Visioli, Diana Bellin, Antonella Furini, Giovanni Dalcorso
Summary: This review summarizes the epigenetic response of plants to soil contamination by heavy metals and metalloids, as well as the transgenerational transfer of this epigenetic status, with consideration of the impact of the microbial community inhabiting the rhizosphere.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Xue-Mei Yang, Jing-Hao Zhao, Xiao-Yu Xiong, Zhang-Wei Hu, Ji-Fen Sun, Hao Su, Yan-Jing Liu, Ling Xiang, Yong Zhu, Jin-Lu Li, Sadam Hussain Bhutto, Guo-Bang Li, Shi-Xin Zhou, Chi Li, Mei Pu, He Wang, Zhi-Xue Zhao, Ji-Wei Zhang, Yan-Yan Huang, Jing Fan, Wen-Ming Wang, Yan Li
Summary: The Arabidopsis RPW8.1 gene enhances disease resistance but compromises plant growth. It has been found that RPW8.1 constitutively enhances the expression of WRKY51 transcription factor and activates salicylic acid and ethylene signaling pathways. WRKY51, in turn, suppresses RPW8.1 expression, forming a feedback regulation loop.
PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Hannes Claeys, Eveline Neyrinck, Lies Dumoulin, Anne Pharazyn, Arne Verstichele, Laurens Pauwels, Michael L. Nuccio, Frederic Van Ex
PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Melanie Ormancey, Bruno Guillotin, Camille Ribeyre, Clemence Medina, Nathanael Jariais, Helene San Clemente, Patrice Thuleau, Serge Plaza, Martina Beck, Jean-Philippe Combier
PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Edgar Perez-Matas, Diego Hidalgo-Martinez, Elisabeth Moyano, Javier Palazon, Mercedes Bonfill
Summary: In this study, the production of paclitaxel was enhanced by overexpressing the bottleneck genes BAPT and DBTNBT in Taxus baccata cells. The transgenic cells showed significantly higher expression of these genes and improved taxane production compared to the wild type. Transcriptional profiling revealed that the GGPPS, TXS, and DBAT genes were most responsive to DBTNBT overexpression and the dual elicitation treatment.
PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Biying Dong, Dong Meng, Zhihua Song, Hongyan Cao, Tingting Du, Meng Qi, Shengjie Wang, Jingyi Xue, Qing Yang, Yujie Fu
Summary: This study identified the involvement of the citrate transporter CcMATE35 and the long noncoding RNA CcLTCS in aluminum stress response in pigeon pea. These findings suggest that the modules CcNFYB3-CcMATE35 and CcLTCS-CcCS jointly regulate the efflux and synthesis of citrate to enhance the resistance of pigeon pea under aluminum stress.
PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2024)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Tien V. Vu, Ngan Thi Nguyen, Jihae Kim, Jong Chan Hong, Jae-Yean Kim
Summary: Prime editing technology uses an extended guide RNA to direct a fusion peptide to a specific location in the genome, enabling precise gene editing. This groundbreaking tool has potential in improving crop varieties, but efficiency limitations exist in certain plants.
PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Yan Xu, Jinyi Tan, Junxing Lu, Yuelin Zhang, Xin Li
Summary: Sclerotinia sclerotiorum causes white mold in economically important plants, and the discovery of SsGAP1 and SsRAS1/SsRAS2 genes as essential regulators of fungal development and virulence provides potential targets for controlling the disease.
PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Xiaoyang Chen, Chen Liu, Hailin Wang, Qi Liu, Yaping Yue, Yuhang Duan, Zhaoyun Wang, Lu Zheng, Xiaolin Chen, Yaohui Wang, Junbin Huang, Qiutao Xu, Yuemin Pan
Summary: This study identified a secreted protein, Uv1809, as a key virulence factor in Ustilaginoidea virens-rice interactions. Uv1809 inhibits rice immunity and promotes infection by targeting and enhancing rice histone deacetylase OsSRT2-mediated histone deacetylation. CRISPR-Cas9 edited ossrt2 mutants showed broad-spectrum resistance to rice pathogens, indicating its potential as a genetic resource for breeding disease resistance.
PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Weishuai Bi, Jing Liu, Yuanyuan Li, Ziwei He, Yongming Chen, Tingting Zhao, Xiangxiu Liang, Xiaodan Wang, Xiangzong Meng, Daolong Dou, Guangyuan Xu
PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Shengjie You, Yu Wu, Wen Li, Xiaofeng Liu, Qinlan Tang, Fengkun Huang, Yan Li, Hsihua Wang, Mingchun Liu, Yang Zhang
Summary: In this study, a transcription factor called SlERF.G3-Like in tomato was found to play a role in regulating ethylene synthesis, cell wall degradation, and the flavonoid pathway. The researchers also discovered the interaction between SlERF.G3-Like and the master ripening regulator SlRIN, and increased the production of resveratrol derivatives through genetic manipulation. These findings provide insights into the coordination of fruit maturation and metabolic changes in tomatoes, and have implications for metabolic engineering.
PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2024)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Thomas R. Aalders, Mara de Sain, Fleur Gawehns, Nina Oudejans, Yoran D. Jak, Henk L. Dekker, Martijn Rep, Harrold A. van den Burg, Frank L. W. Takken
Summary: The TPL1 and TPL2 genes in tomato are closely associated with susceptibility to Fusarium wilt disease, and mutating these genes can enhance plant resistance to the disease.
PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2024)