Experts Release Protocol for Creating Large Chromosomal Deletions in Rice Using CRISPR-Cas9

Engineered CRISPR-Cas9 has become the most popular and efficient tool used in genome engineering plants, particularly crops. Researchers have successfully introduced mutations in several genes at the same time, develop conditional variants of genes, and generate tagged proteins originated from within organisms. Thus, the CRISPR-Cas9 system is highly important in enhancing the performance of crop plants particularly in increasing the yield, improving the nutritional content, and developing better tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Aside from these benefits, the system has shown to be highly effective in creating large chromosomal deletions in plants, which is useful for genetic analysis of chromosomal fragments, functional study of gene clusters in biological processes, etc.

Scientist Riqing Li and colleagues from Iowa State University in the USA presented a new protocol that can be used in creating large chromosomal deletions in rice using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Detailed information about single-guide RNA design, vector construction, plant transformation, and large deletion screening processes in rice were also discussed.

For more details, download the whole chapter on Creating Large Chromosomal Deletions in Rice Using CRISPR-Cas9 from the book Plant Genome Editing with CRISPR Systems.