Experts from Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences used CRISPR-Cas9 to mutagenize two mitochondrial phosphate transporters to know more about their regulatory roles in salt stress response of rice. The findings are reported in The Crop Journal.

Plant mitochondrial phosphate transporters regulate phosphate transport and production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is the cell's energy currency. By knowing if they are involved in abiotic stress response process would provide information on their response to salt stress. Thus, the researchers investigated on OsMPT3;1 and OsMPT3;2 using CRISPR-Cas9. They successfully generated two cas9 (CRISPR-associated protein 9)-free homozygous mutants. Results showed that both OsMPT3;1 and OsMPT3;2 were markedly induced by salt stress, and their mutagenesis strongly inhibited growth and development, particularly under salt stress. Both mutants demonstrate normal growth and development in the presence of ATP, revealing high sensitivity to exogenous ATP under salt stress.

The results of the investigation demonstrate that the OsMPT3 gene modulates phosphate transport and energy supply for ATP synthesis and triggers modifications the in accumulation of ions and metabolites participating in osmotic regulation in rice under salt stress, thus increasing rice salt tolerance. 

Read the research article in The Crop Journal.