CRISPR Reverses Detrimental Effects of Natural Mutation in Rice Gene

Researchers from the Rice Research Institute of Jiangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences in China reported improvement in rice yield characteristics from CRISPR-Cpf1 and single-base gene-editing technologies. Their findings are published in The Plant Journal.

Previous studies have shown that altering the rice gene known as RFL was harmful. Natural mutations of RFL have led to smaller plant height, less yield, and even death. This led the researchers to use precise gene editing tools to target specific parts of RFL and elucidate the gene's role in rice growth and development.

The results showed that the evolutionarily conserved sterile alpha motif (SAM) domain and DNA-binding domain (DBD), as well as the intron region of RFL, are key controllers of rice growth and development and yield traits. They found that the SAM domain and the amino acid at position 266 control how the rice plant grows and how the grains form. They found that different parts of the gene are responsible for different tasks, from the development of the rice stalk to the final shape and weight of the individual grains.

The findings reveal that detrimental genes can be edited to contribute toward breeding better-yielding crops. This opens the possibilities for the development of more productive and resilient food sources in the future.

Read the research article in The Plant Journal.