Principles of Nanoparticle Design for Genome Editing in Plants.

Pushkal Sharma,Tedrick Thomas Salim Lew

doi:10.3389/fgeed.2022.846624

Abstract

Precise plant genome editing technologies have provided new opportunities to accelerate crop improvement and develop more sustainable agricultural systems. In particular, the prokaryote-derived CRISPR platforms allow precise manipulation of the crop genome, enabling the generation of high-yielding and stress-tolerant crop varieties. Nanotechnology has the potential to catalyze the development of a novel molecular toolbox even further by introducing the possibility of a rapid, universal delivery method to edit the plant genome in a species-independent manner. In this Perspective, we highlight how nanoparticles can help unlock the full potential of CRISPR/Cas technology in targeted manipulation of the plant genome to improve agricultural output. We discuss current challenges hampering progress in nanoparticle-enabled plant gene-editing research and application in the field, and highlight how rational nanoparticle design can overcome them. Finally, we examine the implications of the regulatory frameworks and social acceptance for the future of nano-enabled precision breeding in the developing world.

Highlights

The Green Revolution in the 1960s enabled a steep rise in food security via the development of hybrid crops, fertilizers, and institutional mechanisms, benefitting many regions of the world by reducing malnourishment and poverty (Bailey-Serres et al, 2019)
Multiple proof-of-principle studies over the past few years have shown that nanoparticles, in particular carbon nanotubes (CNTs), can be used to deliver nucleic acid-based cargoes to plant species and tissues efficiently in an almost speciesindependent manner (Demirer et al, 2019; Kwak et al, 2019)
Nanoparticle-enabled gene-editing techniques have the potential to revolutionize agriculture owing to their ability to transform plants in a species-independent and nonintegrating manner

Summary

Introduction

The Green Revolution in the 1960s enabled a steep rise in food security via the development of hybrid crops, fertilizers, and institutional mechanisms, benefitting many regions of the world by reducing malnourishment and poverty (Bailey-Serres et al, 2019). The CRISPR-Cas toolbox is increasingly used to perform such genetic manipulation in plants, enabling gene knockout, base editing, organelle genome editing, and transcriptional regulation precisely in a targeted manner (Zhang et al, 2019b). An unmet need remains to devise an effective, low-cost, and universal strategy to deliver gene-editing cargo into plant cells.

Results

Conclusion