New Screening Method Speeds Up Plant Gene Editing and Crop Development

Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a new, faster method to identify effective gene editing targets in plants, which could significantly accelerate the development of high-performing and resilient crops. Spearheaded by researcher Ben Haas in the Stephen Long lab, the breakthrough was achieved as part of the Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) project, an initiative dedicated to engineering photosynthesis to improve global food production.

The new approach focuses on studying upstream open reading frames (uORFs), which are DNA sequence elements that regulate how messenger RNA (mRNA) is translated into proteins. Because uORFs usually inhibit or reduce protein production, scientists often use CRISPR-Cas9 to alter or remove them, lifting the "brakes" on specific genes to boost crop performance. However, traditional screening tools require using complex chemical reactions or stripping plant cell walls to test these targets, a process that is both resource-intensive and time-consuming.

To streamline this pipeline, the Illinois team created a transient expression assay that utilizes intact leaf tissue and fluorescent protein reporters linked to uORFs. By monitoring the fluorescence, researchers can rapidly analyze in vivo how changes to uORF sequences impact gene regulation. This innovative method eliminates the need for the specialized reagents and extensive sample preparation required by older methods, dramatically reducing consumable waste and cutting down the time needed to engineer climate-resilient crops.

For more details, read the press release from RIPE.