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: 2331437
• 负责人: Rebecca Bart
• 金额: $ 119.25万
• 依托单位: Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
• 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=2331437&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。科学家正在使用这些工具将基因与表型联系起来，产生新的表型变异以及潜水员的作物改善应用。该项目扩大了农作物植物编辑的可能性，包括一种用于编辑基因表达的方法，即所谓的“表观遗传编辑”。表观遗传学是一个广泛的术语，用于描述改变基因表达而无需直接改变DNA的机制。表观遗传变异性可以对有机体的表型产生深远的影响，许多重要的农艺特征受到基因表达的影响。该项目的更广泛的影响包括对改善农作物和其他物种的方法的广泛传播，以及通过与长期运行且成功的本科实习计划的整合来培训学生。表观遗传的作物改善策略将完成现有的生物技术和育种策略，并可能提供机会在面对气候变化的情况下帮助保持农作物产量。该项目将直接培训下一代科学家，通过针对本科生（REU）计划的有效研究经验使用这些工具。该项目中产生的所有资源都将用于使用。该项目将扩大农作物工厂编辑的可能性，包括表观遗传编辑。最近证明，可以通过重要作物木薯中的Mesweet10a的靶向DNA甲基化来影响基因表达。 Mesweet10a通常在叶片组织中不表达，而是使用转录激活剂（TAL）效应子通过细菌病原体进行生态诱导。 Mesweet10a启动子的从头甲基化阻断了TAL结合并导致疾病症状减少。尽管这些令人鼓舞的结果，表观遗传编辑仍然是一种不成熟的技术。该项目的目的是填补与表观遗传编辑的建立，维护和继承有关的特定知识差距，并因此降低了其他研究人员采用这项强大技术的切入点。具体而言，该提案的目标1是在其他农作物物种中开发和分发表观遗传编辑工具。这项工作将利用并适应已知在木薯中工作的技术，以实现大米和番茄的类似疾病结果。 AIM 2将扩展在作物中表观遗传编辑的应用。这包括非常简单地靶向多个网站的“微调”基因表达和特定组织编辑的能力。 AIM 3致力于表征从头开始的稳定性和遗传力。如果成功，其他研究项目和生物技术的应用将受益。这项工作还将为非模型植物系统中的表观遗传学基本工作提供其他摘要点。此外，直接编辑表观基因组的能力将赋予更大的表观遗传学领域的能力。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并通过使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响评估标准来诚实地通过评估来诚实地支持。