Cloning and functional verification of endogenous U6 promoters for developing an efficient CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing system in kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.).
Jiang S, Chen F, Ma H, Wu S, Tang X
Crispr
Kenaf grows faster than trees and can be harvested for natural fiber, paper, and even insulation — better gene-editing tools mean breeders can now develop varieties that need fewer pesticides or grow in tougher conditions, giving farmers a more resilient crop and giving you a more sustainable alternative to synthetic fibers.
Researchers wanted to make gene editing work better in kenaf, a tall plant grown for its strong fibers. They found that using the plant's own internal 'on-switch' to activate the editing machinery worked far better than borrowing one from a related cotton plant. This breakthrough means scientists can now make precise improvements to kenaf — like resistance to herbicides — much more reliably than before.
Key Findings
Two candidate native promoters (HcU6-1 and HcU6-14) were identified in kenaf; HcU6-14 showed significantly stronger transcriptional activity than HcU6-1.
CRISPR/Cas9 vectors driven by the endogenous HcU6-14 promoter successfully induced targeted mutations in the kenaf ALS gene, while the exogenous cotton GbU6-9 promoter produced zero detectable mutations.
Functional verification was confirmed via Agrobacterium rhizogenes hairy-root transformation and Sanger sequencing, establishing a reproducible genome editing pipeline for kenaf.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists identified and tested a natural genetic switch in kenaf — a fast-growing fiber crop — that dramatically improves the precision of CRISPR gene editing in that plant. The homegrown switch outperformed a borrowed one from cotton, successfully editing a target gene where the foreign version failed entirely.
Abstract Preview
The U6 promoter is a critical component of the CRISPR/Cas9 system, as it drives the transcription of single-guide RNAs (sgRNAs) to enable precise genome editing. Endogenous promoters typically exhi...
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Kenaf [etymology: Persian], Hibiscus cannabinus, is a plant in the family Malvaceae also called Deccan hemp and Java jute. Hibiscus cannabinus is in the genus Hibiscus and is native to Africa, though its exact origin is unknown. The name also applies to the fibre obtained from this plant. Kenaf i...