The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 nuclease (Cas9) system depends on a guide RNA (gRNA) to specify its target. By efficiently co-expressing multiple gRNAs that target different genomic sites, the polycistronic tRNA-gRNA gene (PTG) strategy enables multiplex gene editing in the family of closely related mitogen-activated protein kinase (MPK) genes in Oryza sativa (rice).

The importance of cassava as the fourth largest source of calories in the world requires that contributions of biotechnology to improving this crop, advances and current challenges, be periodically reviewed. Plant biotechnology offers a wide range of opportunities that can help cassava become a better crop for a constantly changing world. We therefore review the state of knowledge on the current use of biotechnology applied to cassava cultivars and its implications for breeding the crop into the future.

The myeloblastosis (MYB) transcription factor superfamily is the largest transcription factor family in plants, playing different roles during stress response. However, abiotic stress-responsive MYB transcription factors have not been systematically studied in cassava (Manihot esculenta), an important tropical tuber root crop. In this study, we used a genome-wide transcriptome analysis to predict 299 putative MeMYB genes in the cassava genome.

Direct control of protein level enables rapid and efficient analyses of gene functions in crops. Previously, we developed the RDDK-Shield1 (Shld1) system in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana for direct modulation of protein stabilization using a synthetic small molecule. However, it was unclear whether this system is applicable to economically important crops. In this study we show that the RDDK-Shld1 system enables rapid and tunable control of protein levels in rice and wheat.

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is a major component of atmospheric fine particles, which pose serious health risks and influence Earth’s climate. We combine laboratory measurements and computational modeling to investigate SOA formation from gasoline vehicle exhaust—an important source of air pollution in urban environments. We find a strong dependence of SOA formation from gasoline vehicle exhaust on oxides of nitrogen (NO_x)

Brassica rapa is a model species for agronomic, ecological, evolutionary, and translational studies. Here, we describe high-density SNP discovery and genetic map construction for a B. rapa recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from field collected RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) data. This high-density genotype data enables the detection and correction of putative genome misassemblies and accurate assignment of scaffold sequences to their likely genomic locations.

High-throughput sequencing (HTS) of reduced representation genomic libraries has ushered in an era of genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS), where genome-wide genotype data can be obtained for nearly any species. However, there remains a need for imputation-free GBS methods for genotyping large samples taken from heterogeneous populations of heterozygous individuals.

During ongoing proteomic analysis of the soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr) germplasm collection, PI 603408 was identified as a landrace whose seeds lack accumulation of one of the major seed storage glycinin protein subunits. Whole genomic resequencing was used to identify a two-base deletion affecting glycinin 5. The newly discovered deletion was confirmed to be causative through immunological, genetic, and proteomic analysis,

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are essential hormones that play crucial roles in plant growth, reproduction and response to abiotic and biotic stress. In Arabidopsis, AtCYP85A2 works as a bifunctional cytochrome P450 monooxygenase to catalyse the conversion of castasterone to brassinolide, a final rate-limiting step in the BR-biosynthetic pathway. Here, we report the functional characterizations of PtCYP85A3, one of the three AtCYP85A2 homologous genes from Populus trichocarpa.

Anthocyanins have high antioxidant activities, and engineering of anthocyanin biosynthesis in staple crops, such as rice (Oryza sativa L.), could provide health-promoting foods for improving human health. However, engineering metabolic pathways for biofortification remains difficult, and previous attempts to engineer anthocyanin production in rice endosperm failed because of the sophisticated genetic regulatory network of its biosynthetic pathway