CRISPR/Cas9: An Invention for Plant Breeding and Agricultural Sustainability

Abstract

Viruses are considered to be a common threat to the cellular life as well as to bacteria and archaea. Of the vital mechanisms that have been developed to restrict the virus infection, Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat (CRISPR) is a sequence-specific adaptive immunity that fundamentally enhances our understanding of virus-host interaction. CRISPR represents a family of DNA sequences contained in prokaryotes. The sequences contain snippets of DNA from viruses. The immunity that is based on CRISPR allows the cell to remember, recognize, and clear infections. The plant genome editing which proves to be efficient depends on the induction of double-stranded breaks through site-specified nucleases (NUCs) that initiate the process of DNA repair, which is either based on homologous recombination or nonhomologous end joining. The CRISPR-Cas9 system was recognized as the metamorphose genetic tool because of its simpler framework and due to the broad range of adaptability and applications. Various upgradations in this multipurpose genome-editing technology include options for various genetic manipulations such as generating knockouts, making precise modifications, multiplex genome engineering, and activation and repression of target genes, which have proved to be of great help in plant breeding and agricultural sustainability. The review encompasses an overview of the role of CRISPR in prokaryotic defense mechanism, its prospective role in generating mutagenized plant line, and the applications of this novel interference pathway in crop improvement. The CRISPR/Cas9 348system warrants a promise in facilitating both forward and reverse genetics, thereby enhancing research in crops that lack genetic resources and aid in agricultural sustamability.