Target Improvement of Rice Based on CRISPR/Cas9 Gene Editing Technology

Abstract

As a model crop for monocots research, rice is also one of the most important food crops in the world. Rice plays an extremely important role in ensuring food security, since China is the world's largest producer and consumer of rice. Upgrading and improvement of rice varieties is an effective way to ensure the continuous increase of rice yield. As the heavy reliance on the experience of breeders, the traditional breeding method is time-consuming, poor in precision and low in predictability, which can no longer meet the needs of modern breeding. As a new generation of gene editing technology after zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) and transcription-activating-like effector nuclease (TALEN) technologies, CRISPR/Cas9, which can accurately and directionally modify the functional genes that control important traits without changing the genetic background of the receptor to achieve the rapid upgrading and improvement of traits, has gradually become an important tool for animal and plant scientific research and crop breeding. At present, CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology has been widely used in targeted improvement of important traits and germplasm resource innovation of rice. In the study, the working principle of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology and its research progress in rice disease resistance, quality, fertility and abiotic stress were reviewed. It will provide a new insight for application prospect of gene editing in rice breeding and provide a reference for the further application of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology in crop targeted improvement in the future.

Keywords

• rice
• crispr/cas9
• gene editing
• rice quality
• disease resistance
• trait improvement