Multiplex gene editing drives revolution in crop breeding: overlaid editing of multiple genes and customization of complex traits.
Lin J, Hazaisi H, Guan Y, Bai M
Summary
8.8/10CRISPR gene editing can now modify multiple crop traits simultaneously—yield, disease resistance, and quality—in a single organism. This solves a major limitation of traditional breeding, which could only improve one trait at a time, enabling crops to meet modern agriculture's complex demands.
Key Findings
CRISPR/Cas9-based multiplex genome editing enables targeted modification of multiple gene loci simultaneously, allowing 'trait pyramiding' (combining several desirable traits in one organism)
MGE applications successfully enhance three major breeding objectives: crop stress resistance, yield increase, and nutritional/quality improvements
Multiple-trait breeding has shifted from a side benefit to a core objective in modern crop development, driven by consumer expectations and climate pressures
Original Abstract
Modern agriculture currently demands higher standards for the simultaneous improvement of crop yield, quality and stress resistance. However, traditional crop breeding methods can no longer meet the needs of modern agricultural development. Improving a single trait is no longer sufficient to meet the multifaceted demands of modern agricultural production and consumer expectations. Multiple traits breeding has increasingly become a key objective in current crop breeding. Over the past decade, CRISPR/Cas9-based multiplex genome editing (MGE) has enabled efficient pyramiding and precise regulation of multiple traits via targeted editing of multiple gene loci, revolutionizing crop breeding. In this review, we briefly describe the core CRISPR/Cas-based MGE strategies and technical workflows, and thoroughly discuss the practical outcomes of MGE applications in various fields, such as enhancing crop stress resistance, increasing yield and improving quality. This review aims to provide a summary and theoretical reference for crop breeding, as well as open up new ideas for achieving different breeding goals.