CRISPR gene editing to improve crop resistance to parasitic plants

Min-Yao Jhu; Evan E Ellison; Neelima R Sinha

doi:10.3389/fgeed.2023.1289416

CRISPR gene editing to improve crop resistance to parasitic plants

Front Genome Ed. 2023 Oct 25:5:1289416. doi: 10.3389/fgeed.2023.1289416. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Min-Yao Jhu¹, Evan E Ellison¹, Neelima R Sinha²

Affiliations

¹ Crop Science Centre, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
² Department of Plant Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States.

Abstract

Parasitic plants pose a significant threat to global agriculture, causing substantial crop losses and hampering food security. In recent years, CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) gene-editing technology has emerged as a promising tool for developing resistance against various plant pathogens. Its application in combating parasitic plants, however, remains largely unexplored. This review aims to summarise current knowledge and research gaps in utilising CRISPR to develop resistance against parasitic plants. First, we outline recent improvements in CRISPR gene editing tools, and what has been used to combat various plant pathogens. To realise the immense potential of CRISPR, a greater understanding of the genetic basis underlying parasitic plant-host interactions is critical to identify suitable target genes for modification. Therefore, we discuss the intricate interactions between parasitic plants and their hosts, highlighting essential genes and molecular mechanisms involved in defence response and multilayer resistance. These include host resistance responses directly repressing parasitic plant germination or growth and indirectly influencing parasitic plant development via manipulating environmental factors. Finally, we evaluate CRISPR-mediated effectiveness and long-term implications for host resistance and crop improvement, including inducible resistance response and tissue-specific activity. In conclusion, this review highlights the challenges and opportunities CRISPR technology provides to combat parasitic plants and provides insights for future research directions to safeguard global agricultural productivity.

Keywords: CRISPR; cell-type specific; defence; gene editing; haustorium; inducible defence responses; parasitic plants; resistance.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

The authors declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. M-YJ is supported by a grant made to the University of Cambridge by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (OPP1028264) known as the Enabling Nutrient Symbioses in Agriculture (ENSA) project. EE is supported by the National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology under Grant No. 2305688. Research on parasitic plants in the NRS lab is funded by the California Tomato Research Institute (CTRI). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.