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Review
. 2024 Mar 18;43(4):98.
doi: 10.1007/s00299-024-03183-1.

Crop bioengineering via gene editing: reshaping the future of agriculture

Mohamed Atia  1 , Wenjun Jiang  1 , Khalid Sedeek  1 , Haroon Butt  1 , Magdy Mahfouz  2
Affiliations
Review

Crop bioengineering via gene editing: reshaping the future of agriculture

Mohamed Atia et al. Plant Cell Rep. .

Abstract

Genome-editing technologies have revolutionized research in plant biology, with major implications for agriculture and worldwide food security, particularly in the face of challenges such as climate change and increasing human populations. Among these technologies, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats [CRISPR]-CRISPR-associated protein [Cas] systems are now widely used for editing crop plant genomes. In this review, we provide an overview of CRISPR-Cas technology and its most significant applications for improving crop sustainability. We also review current and potential technological advances that will aid in the future breeding of crops to enhance food security worldwide. Finally, we discuss the obstacles and challenges that must be overcome to realize the maximum potential of genome-editing technologies for future crop and food production.

Keywords: CRISPR/Cas system; Crop engineering; Food security; Genome editing; Trait engineering.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The tools and workflow of plant genome editing. A Zinc Finger Nucleases (ZFNs) and Transcription Activator-Like Effector Nucleases (TALENs) as plant genome editing tools. B CRISPR/Cas9 systems as genome editing tools; CRISPR/Cas9 mediated DSB can be repaired by error-prone NHEJ or precisely repaired via HDR. C The general workflow of plant genome editing
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
A The two classes of CRISPR/Cas system. B The sequence for structure-based homology search for new Cas orthologues
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The expanding CRISPR/Cas system-based toolkits. A Base editing technology by fusing nCas9 (D10A) with adenosine deaminase or cytidine deaminase for targeted point mutation. B Prime editing technology by fusing nCas9 (H840A) with reverse transcriptase and pegRNA for precise genome editing without a double-strand DNA break. C Using CRISPR/Cas9 system with sgRNA library for genome-wide mutations. D CRISPR/Cas9 system can induce chromosome rearrangement by targeted double-strand breaks
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
The promising application of gene editing tools for crop breeding
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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