First brassinosteroid-based dwarf mutant discovered and characterized in grapevine.
Yang Y, Arro J, Zou C, Oravec M, Reisch B
Crispr
Compact dwarf grapevines could make growing wine grapes in a backyard, on a patio, or in a small urban garden genuinely practical — shorter, denser vines need less pruning, trellising, and space.
Grapes naturally grow as vigorous, sprawling vines — but researchers found some that stay small due to a tiny change in a gene that helps make a plant growth hormone. They used a gene-editing tool to recreate that same smallness on purpose, proving the gene is the key switch for vine size. They even found a second related gene: knock out both, and the vine becomes extremely compact, like a miniature version of itself.
Key Findings
A 9-base-pair deletion in the gene VviBR6OX1 is the primary cause of natural dwarfism in grapevine, identified by fine-mapping and RNA sequencing across grapevine germplasm.
CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of VviBR6OX1 successfully recreated the dwarf phenotype in engineered vines, confirming the gene's direct role in controlling vine architecture.
Simultaneous CRISPR editing of a second related gene, VviBR6OX2, produced an extreme compact dwarf phenotype beyond standard dwarfism, revealing a two-gene dosage effect on plant size.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists discovered the first naturally occurring dwarf grapevine caused by a mutation in the brassinosteroid (plant growth hormone) pathway. They identified the responsible gene, confirmed its role using CRISPR gene editing, and found that disabling a second related gene creates an even more extreme compact vine.
Abstract Preview
In this study, we investigated the genetic control of dwarfism in naturally occurring dwarf mutant lines of grapevines. Through trait-segregation and marker-trait association analyses, we identifie...
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