Copyright 2018 Accademia dei Georgofili
Site-directed editing of genomic regions is a powerful tool to study biological processes as well as to obtain desired phenotypes in eukaryotic organisms. It is not surprising that its application in plant biology has blossomed in the recent years. Among the strategies aimed at directing endonucleases to specific genomic targets, the CRISPR-Cas technology is the mostly employed due to its efficiency and simplicity of engineering. This strategy is commonly used to either induce inactivating mutations or, in a more complex approach, to replace regions of interest to alter the properties of plant species of interest. To effectively apply CRISPR-Cas for plant mutagenesis, special care has to be taken when selecting the sequence to be mutagenized, the delivery of the ribonucleoproteic complex and the selection procedure. Nevertheless, CRISPR-Cas represent a priceless tool in the hands of the new generation of plant biotechnologists and breeders.
Site-directed editing of genomic regions is a powerful tool to study biological processes as well as to obtain desired phenotypes in eukaryotic organisms. It is not surprising that its application in plant biology has blossomed in the recent years. Among the strategies aimed at directing endonucleases to specific genomic targets, the CRISPR-Cas technology is the mostly employed due to its efficiency and simplicity of engineering. This strategy is commonly used to either induce inactivating mutations or, in a more complex approach, to replace regions of interest to alter the properties of plant species of interest. To effectively apply CRISPR-Cas for plant mutagenesis, special care has to be taken when selecting the sequence to be mutagenized, the delivery of the ribonucleoproteic complex and the selection procedure. Nevertheless, CRISPR-Cas represent a priceless tool in the hands of the new generation of plant biotechnologists and breeders.