Collaborative Research: RESEARCH-PGR: Development of epigenetic editing for crop improvement

合作研究：RESEARCH-PGR：用于作物改良的表观遗传编辑的开发

• 批准号: 2331438
• 负责人: Bing Yang
• 金额: $ 30.74万
• 依托单位: University of Missouri-Columbia
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-05-01 至 2028-04-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2331438&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; RESEARCH; PGR; Development

Genome editing tools have revolutionized biology. Scientists are using these tools to connect genes to phenotypes, generate novel phenotypic variation, and for diverse crop improvement applications. This project expands the possibilities for editing in crop plants to include a method for editing gene expression, so called “epigenetic editing”. Epigenetics is a broad term used to describe mechanisms that change gene expression without directly changing the DNA. Epigenetic variability can have profound impacts on an organism’s phenotype, and many important agronomic traits are influenced by gene expression. Broader impacts of the project include the wide dissemination of the method for the improvement of crop plants and other species, plus the training of students via integration with a long running and successful undergraduate internship program. Epigenetic crop improvement strategies will complement existing biotechnology and breeding strategies and may offer opportunities to help maintain crop yields in the face of climate change. This project will directly train the next generation of scientists to use these tools through an effective Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. All resources generated in this project will be made available for use.This project will expand the possibilities for editing in crop plants to include epigenetic editing. It was recently demonstrated that it is possible to affect gene expression through targeted DNA methylation at MeSWEET10a in the important crop, cassava. MeSWEET10a is not normally expressed in leaf tissue but is ectopically induced by a bacterial pathogen using a transcription activator-like (TAL) effector. De novo methylation of the MeSWEET10a promoter blocked TAL binding and led to decreased disease symptoms. Despite these encouraging results, epigenetic editing is still an immature technology. The goal of this project is to fill specific knowledge gaps related to establishment, maintenance, and inheritance of epigenetic edits and in so doing, lower the entry point for other researchers to adopt this powerful technology. Specifically, aim 1 of this proposal is to develop and distribute epigenetic editing tools in other crop species. The work will leverage and adapt the technologies known to work in cassava to accomplish similar disease outcomes in rice and tomato. Aim 2 will expand on the applications of epigenetic editing in crops. This includes the ability to target multiple loci simultaneously, “fine tune” gene expression and tissue specific editing. Aim 3 is dedicated to characterizing stability and heritability of de novo epialleles. If successful, other research projects and applications in biotechnology will benefit. This work will also provide additional jumping off points for fundamental work on epigenetics in non-model plant systems. Further, an ability to directly edit the epigenome will empower the larger field of epigenetics.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

基因组编辑工具彻底改变了生物学。科学家们正在使用这些工具将基因与表型连接起来，产生新的表型变异，并用于多种作物改良应用，该项目扩大了作物植物编辑的可能性，包括编辑基因表达的方法。表观遗传编辑是一个广泛的术语，用于描述在不直接改变DNA的情况下改变基因表达的机制，表观遗传变异可以对生物体的表型产生深远的影响，并且许多重要的农艺性状都受到更广泛的基因表达的影响。该项目的影响包括广泛传播作物和其他物种的改良方法，以及通过与长期成功的本科生实习计划相结合对学生进行培训，这将补充现有的生物技术和育种策略。可能会提供机会，帮助在面对气候变化时保持作物产量。该项目将通过有效的本科生研究经验（REU）计划直接培训下一代科学家使用这些工具。可供使用。该项目将扩展最近证明，在重要作物木薯中，通过 MeSWEET10a 的靶向 DNA 甲基化可以影响基因表达，MeSWEET10a 通常不在组织叶中表达，而是由基因异位诱导。细菌病原体使用 MeSWEET10a 启动子的转录激活子样 (TAL) 效应子从头甲基化可阻断 TAL 结合并导致疾病症状减少。结果表明，表观遗传编辑仍然是一项不成熟的技术，该项目的目标是填补与表观遗传编辑的建立、维护和遗传相关的特定知识空白，从而降低其他研究人员采用这项强大技术的门槛。目标 2 将扩展表观遗传编辑的应用这包括同时靶向多个位点、“微调”基因表达和组织特异性编辑的能力，如果成功的话，生物技术领域的其他研究项目和应用将受益。这项工作还将为非模型植物系统中表观遗传学的基础工作提供额外的起点。此外，直接编辑表观基因组的能力将赋能更广泛的表观遗传学领域。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并已被授予。通过使用基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，认为值得支持。