A dual sgRNA-directed CRISPR/Cas9 construct for editing the fruit-specific β-cyclase 2 gene in pigmented citrus fruits.

ABSTRACT: CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing is a modern biotechnological approach used to improve plant varieties, modifying only one or a few traits of a specific variety. However, this technology cannot be easily used to improve fruit quality traits in citrus, due to the lack of knowledge of key genes, long juvenile stage, and the difficulty regenerating whole plants of specific varieties. Here, we introduce a genome editing approach with the aim of producing citrus plantlets whose fruits contain both lycopene and anthocyanins. Our method employs a dual single guide RNA (sgRNA)-directed genome editing approach to knockout the fruit-specific β-cyclase 2 gene, responsible for the conversion of lycopene to beta-carotene. The gene is targeted by two sgRNAs simultaneously to create a large deletion, as well a

SUBMITTER: Salonia F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9792771 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature