CRISPR/Cas9-mediated uORF engineering enhances tanshinone biosynthesis in <i>Salvia miltiorrhiza</i>.

ABSTRACT: Tanshinone accumulation serves as a critical determinant of medicinal value in Salvia miltiorrhiza cultivars. Precise fine-tuning of tanshinone biosynthesis while preserving elite agronomic traits remains a pivotal challenge in molecular breeding. Here, we report, for the first time, the successful application of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated upstream open reading frame (uORF) editing in medicinal plants to enhance the production of specialized metabolites. Five evolutionarily conserved uORFs identified in the 5' leader sequence of the key diterpene synthase gene SmCPS1 were strategically edited to modulate post-transcriptional regulation. Homozygous mutants engineered through precision gene editing exhibited 1.19- to 1.81-fold enhanced tanshinone accumulation compared to the controls

SUBMITTER: Shao J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12856501 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature