CRISPR/Cas9-based knockout of BnaLYK compromises pattern-triggered immunity and resistance to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in Brassica napus.
Liu Y, Yin X, Jin P, Zhang H
Crispr
PubMedCanola oil in your kitchen comes from a crop routinely devastated by white mold fungus, which can wipe out entire fields — understanding which genes protect it opens the door to varieties that need far fewer fungicides.
Canola plants have a kind of immune system that recognizes when a fungus is trying to attack and sounds an alarm. Researchers used CRISPR, a precise gene-editing tool, to switch off a specific 'alarm sensor' gene called BnaLYK. Plants without this sensor could no longer mount a proper immune response and became much more vulnerable to a mold that causes widespread crop losses. This tells scientists that BnaLYK is a critical piece of the plant's defense toolkit.
Key Findings
CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of the BnaLYK gene significantly reduced pattern-triggered immunity in Brassica napus (canola).
BnaLYK-knockout plants showed increased susceptibility to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, the fungus responsible for white mold/stem rot disease.
BnaLYK encodes a receptor-like kinase involved in recognizing fungal molecular patterns, confirming its role as a frontline immune sensor.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists used CRISPR gene editing to disable a key immune receptor in rapeseed (canola), revealing it is essential for the plant to defend itself against a devastating fungal disease called white mold. Without this receptor, the plant loses its first line of defense.
Abstract Preview
Rapeseed ( The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12870-025-07823-w.
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