CRISPR-Cas9 Helps Explain Maize Adaptation to Higher Latitudes
March 7, 2018| |
Flowering time is a critical determinant of crop adaptation to local environments. Maize has spread over a wide latitudinal cline in the Americas due to its reduced photoperiod sensitivity to adapt to regions over 90° of latitude.
The team of Cheng Huang from China Agricultural University aimed to explain how maize adapts to environments above 90° of latitude. The team found that ZmCCT9 regulates flowering under the long days, allowing maize to adapt to higher latitudes. Using CRISPR-Cas9, the team knocked-out ZmCCT9 in maize to further analyze its role.
Analysis of the generated mutants revealed that the gene knockout caused early flowering under long days. Further analysis also found that ZmCCT9 negatively regulates the expression of the florigen ZCN8, resulting in late flowering under long days.
These findings help explain how the maize genome with enable maize to adapt over 90° of latitude.
For more information, read the article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
| |
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- Women Play Vital Role in Biotech, Study
- Ugandan Farmer Requests for Access to Beneficial Farming Technologies
- First Zinc-enriched Maize Released in Colombia to Combat Malnutrition
- Biofuels from Plant Fibers Could Fight Global Warming
- UGA Researchers Design New Technique to Enhance Crops
- Brazil Sugar Mills Start Planting GM Sugarcane
- Argentina Approves Three GM Crops
- EFSA Publishes Risk Assessment for Renewal of GM Maize Authorization
- Researchers Use NBTs to Develop Tobacco Plants as Biofactories
-
Research Highlights
- Host-Induced Gene Silencing of VdRGS1 Confers Resistance to Verticillium Wilt in Cotton
- Rice Genes OsBON1 and OsBON3 Suppress Broad-Spectrum Disease Resistance
-
Beyond Crop Biotech
- Kenya Developing Animal Biotech Regulatory Guidelines
-
Announcements
- Future of Long-term Experiments in Agricultural Science
-
Resources
- 5 Questions with UCT's Jennifer Thomson
-
Plant
- Knock-out of Zmsweet13 Genes Impairs Agronomic Traits in Maize
- CRISPR-Cas9 Helps Explain Maize Adaptation to Higher Latitudes
- Blocking OsAAP3 in Rice Improves Grain Yield
- Researchers Use Ribonucleoprotein Complexes for Genome Editing of Wheat
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (April 24, 2024)
- Gene Editing Supplement (April 24, 2024)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet