rice-genomics
Rice genomics is the study of the complete genetic makeup of rice, encompassing gene identification, sequencing, and functional analysis of its genome. Understanding rice's genetic architecture enables researchers to pinpoint genes controlling yield, disease resistance, drought tolerance, and grain quality. These insights drive molecular breeding strategies that accelerate the development of improved crop varieties essential for global food security.
PubMed · 2026-04-01
Scientists developed a smarter gene-editing approach called TKC-MC that can reliably create rice plants with one working copy and one broken copy of a critical gene — something standard CRISPR tools struggle to do because they tend to knock out both copies, killing the plant.
A single intentional mismatch at position 11 or 17 in the gene-editing guide sequence was enough to enrich heritable heterozygous (one working / one broken copy) plants in sensitive gene targets.
For harder-to-edit gene targets, combining mismatches at positions 8 and 15 together maximized the yield of useful heterozygous plants.
Using a cocktail of three guide RNA variants (G1, M11, and M8+M15) together significantly increased the proportion of partially edited mutants compared to using a standard single guide RNA alone.
