White from purple

The popular method of genomic editing CRISPR was first used in floriculture

Marina Astvatsaturyan, Echo of Moscow

Japanese scientists from The University of Tsukuba, the National Agricultural and Food Research Organization and the Yokohama City University turned purple ipomoea flowers into white with the help of the genome editor – the CRISPR-Cas9 system.

A picture from the press release of the University of Tsukuba What's your story, morning glory? Scientists use CRISPR technology to change flower color in an ornamental plant – VM.

Ipomoea, Latin name Ipomoea nil, which is also called "morning glory", is a representative of the bindweed family, whose cultivars are grown all over the world as ornamental plants.

In the latest issue of the magazine Scientific Reports Japanese authors report how they managed to obtain previously unseen ipomoea flowers by changing one gene, and this change did not affect the rest of the plant.

The ipomoea plant was chosen for this experiment because it is already covered by the Japanese National BioResource Project (National BioResource Project), that is, its genetics is well studied and DNA sequence data is available.

The object of editing in the described study was the gene of the enzyme dihydroflonol-4-reductase-B (DFR-B). It provides the synthesis of the pigment anthocyanin, and therefore damage to the gene encoding this enzyme led to the fact that the flowers turned out to be unpainted.

The CRISPR-Cas9 system allows for very precise cuts on DNA strands, so that neighboring genes were not affected, as shown by subsequent analysis of the sites adjacent to the edited gene, no mutations were detected in them.

A genetic change was made in the culture of ipomoea germ cells. About 75 percent of the modified embryos grew into plants with white flowers.

The Cas9 enzyme cuts DNA in a certain place, where it is directed by a specially designed RNA sequence that is part of the CRISPR-Cas9 system structure, the so-called RNA guide. Depending on the tasks set, either a piece of the object's DNA is cut out or a new genetic element is inserted into its genome at the site of the incision.

The components of CRISPR-Cas9 were introduced into the embryos of ipomoea by a bacterium of the genus Rhizobium, coexisting with plants. The authors found that the white color of the petals obtained as a result of genetic editing is preserved in the next generations of the plant.

Ipomoea began to be grown in Japan in the VIII century AD, the first mention of a white flower of this plant dates back to the XVII century. Obviously, that unusual flower was the result of a spontaneous genetic mutation.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru  20.09.2017