Abstract

Directed breeding of horticultural crops is essential for increasing yield, nutritional content, and consumer-valued characteristics such as shape and color of the produce. However, limited genetic diversity restricts the amount of crop improvement that can be achieved through conventional breeding approaches. Natural genetic changes in cis-regulatory regions of genes play important roles in shaping phenotypic diversity by altering their expression. Utilization of CRISPR/Cas editing in crop species can accelerate crop improvement through the introduction of genetic variation in a targeted manner. The advent of CRISPR/Cas-mediated cis-regulatory region engineering (cis-engineering) provides a more refined method for modulating gene expression and creating phenotypic diversity to benefit crop improvement. Here, we focus on the current applications of CRISPR/Cas-mediated cis-engineering in horticultural crops. We describe strategies and limitations for its use in crop improvement, including de novo cis-regulatory element (CRE) discovery, precise genome editing, and transgene-free genome editing. In addition, we discuss the challenges and prospects regarding current technologies and achievements. CRISPR/Cas-mediated cis-engineering is a critical tool for generating horticultural crops that are better able to adapt to climate change and providing food for an increasing world population.

Details

Title
Perspectives of CRISPR/Cas-mediated cis-engineering in horticulture: unlocking the neglected potential for crop improvement
Author
Li, Qiang 1 ; Sapkota Manoj 2 ; van der Knaap Esther 3 

 Shandong Agricultural University, College of Horticultural Science and Engineering, Tai’an, China (GRID:grid.440622.6) (ISNI:0000 0000 9482 4676); University of Georgia, Center for Applied Genetic Technologies, Athens, USA (GRID:grid.213876.9) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 738X) 
 University of Georgia, Institute for Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, Athens, USA (GRID:grid.213876.9) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 738X) 
 University of Georgia, Center for Applied Genetic Technologies, Athens, USA (GRID:grid.213876.9) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 738X); University of Georgia, Institute for Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, Athens, USA (GRID:grid.213876.9) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 738X); University of Georgia, Department of Horticulture, Athens, USA (GRID:grid.213876.9) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 738X) 
Publication year
2020
Publication date
2020
Publisher
Oxford University Press
e-ISSN
20527276
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2377062925
Copyright
This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.