CRISPR-Cas9 and beyond: identifying target genes for developing disease-resistant plants.

Abstract

Throughout the history of crop domestication, desirable traits have been selected in agricultural products. However, such selection often leads to crops and vegetables with weaker vitality and viability than their wild ancestors when exposed to adverse environmental conditions. Considering the increasing human population and climate change challenges, it is crucial to enhance crop quality and quantity. Accordingly, the identification and utilization of diverse genetic resources are imperative for developing disease-resistant plants that can withstand unexpected epidemics of plant diseases. In this review, we provide a brief overview of recent progress in genome-editing technologies, including zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-associated protein 9 (Cas9) technologies. In particular, we classify disease-resistant mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana and several crop plants based on the roles or functions of the mutated genes in plant immunity and suggest potential target genes for molecular breeding of genome-edited disease-resistant plants. Genome-editing technologies are resilient tools for sustainable development and promising solutions for coping with climate change and population increases.