Genome Editing Turns Red Perilla Green while Boosting Health Benefits Sixfold

Researchers at Hiroshima University, in collaboration with the Hiroshima Prefectural Technology Research Institute and Mishima Foods Co., Ltd., have successfully used CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing to transform red perilla (shiso in Japan, kkaennip in Korea, and tía tô in Vietnam) into a green variety while substantially boosting its health-promoting properties. Published in Frontiers in Plant Science, the study demonstrates how modifying a single targeted enzyme gene can intentionally redirect a plant's metabolic pathways to yield crops with higher nutritional and functional value.

By disabling the flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H) gene, a key junction in the plant's metabolic pathway, the team halted the production of red anthocyanin pigments, causing the plants to grow visually identical to traditional green perilla. More importantly, this genetic tweak caused a dramatic shift in the plant's biochemistry: levels of luteolin, a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory flavone, increased approximately sixfold compared to unedited plants, alongside elevated concentrations of rosmarinic acid.

Led by Professor Hidemasa Bono, the research team successfully bred stable, non-transgenic plant lines that retain these altered metabolic traits without carrying any foreign DNA. The breakthrough opens up new possibilities for cultivating high-performance functional foods and naturally derived pharmaceutical ingredients, proving that genome editing can tailor traditional culinary herbs into powerhouses for nutrition and medicine.

For more details, read the article in the University of Hiroshima website.