Source: TH
Context: A team of researchers from the ICAR-National Rice Research Institute in India and Pennsylvania State University in the U.S. has developed a new, miniature genome-editing tool that holds promise for agricultural applications.
- The new tool, based on a protein called ISDra2TnpB from the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans, is less than half the size of these proteins, making it more suitable for plant genome editing.
- This TnpB-based system offers a significant improvement in editing efficiency, particularly in plants where traditional tools have been less effective.
- Researchers have successfully used it on both monocots (like rice) and dicots (like Arabidopsis), although the efficiency was lower in dicots.
- The system can perform both base editing and transcription activation, opening new possibilities for crop improvement, such as reducing plant height to make crops like rice less prone to cyclone damage.
The new tool’s potential lies in its ability to precisely modify plant genomes, potentially removing undesirable traits or introducing beneficial ones.
