Genome editing and plant transformation of solanaceous food crops

Abstract

During the past decade, the ability to alter plant genomes in a DNA site-specific manner was realized through availability of sequenced genomes and emergence of editing technologies based on complexes that guide endonucleases. Generation of targeted DNA breaks by ZFNs, TALENs, and CRISPR/Cas9, then mending by repair mechanisms, provides a valuable foundation for studies of gene function and trait modification. Genome editing has been successful in several food crops, including those belonging to the Solanaceae, which contains some of the most widely used, economically important ones such as tomato and potato. Application of new breeding technologies has the potential to not only address deficiencies of current crops, but to also transform underutilized species into viable sources to diversify and strengthen our food supply.