A multi-purpose toolkit to enable advanced genome engineering in plants – Plant Cell

Cermak et al, 2017We report a comprehensive toolkit that enables targeted, specific modification of monocot and dicot genomes using a variety of genome engineering approaches. Our reagents, based on TALENs and the CRISPR/Cas9 system, are systematized for fast, modular cloning and accommodate diverse regulatory sequences to drive reagent expression. Vectors are optimized to create either single or multiple gene knockouts and large chromosomal deletions. Moreover, integration of geminivirus-based vectors enables precise gene editing through homologous recombination. Regulation of transcription is also possible. A web-based tool greatly streamlines vector selection and construction. One advantage of our platform is the use of the Csy4 ribonuclease and tRNA processing enzymes to simultaneously express multiple guide RNAs (gRNAs). For example, we demonstrate targeted deletions in up to six genes by expressing twelve gRNAs from a single transcript. Csy4 and tRNA expression systems are almost twice as effective in inducing mutations as gRNAs expressed from individual RNA polymerase III (Pol III) promoters. Mutagenesis can be further enhanced 2.5-fold by incorporating the TREX2 exonuclease. Finally, we demonstrate that Cas9 nickases induce gene targeting at frequencies comparable to native Cas9 when they are delivered on geminivirus replicons. The reagents have been successfully validated in tomato, tobacco, Medicago, wheat and barley.See it on Scoop.it, via Viruses and Bioinformatics from Virology.uvic.ca
A multi-purpose toolkit to enable advanced genome engineering in plants – Plant Cell
Source: Viral Bioinformatics