BREAD: Genome-Enabled Platforms for Yam

山药是许多热带和亚热带国家小农家庭膳食淀粉的主要来源。尽管它具有全球重要性，但现代基因组学工具的使用可以促进对如何提高山药生产力和营养质量的基本理解，但它落后于其他主要作物。该项目的总体目标是解决这一错失的机会，并为山药建立强大的遗传和基因组资源。这些基于基因组的作物改良平台的最终受益者是依靠山药为生的女性农民。该项目将开发有效的工具，对非洲重要的主粮作物山药（薯蓣）进行基本认识和遗传改良。具体目标包括：(1)利用聚类规律间隔短回文重复序列/CRISPR相关蛋白9 （CRISPR/Cas9）的定点突变系统建立高效的基因组编辑平台；(2)制备和鉴定CRISPR/ cas9诱变山药植株。除了为博士后和学生提供研究培训外，该项目还将与IITA-Tanzania合作开发和组织为期两周的海外学习课程，为爱荷华州立大学的本科生提供实际接触全球农业研究需求和机会的机会。该项目还将为非洲女性科学家提供短期实验室培训经验，并在国际热带农业研究所（IITA-Kenya）举办一个重点研讨会，与非洲科学家分享最新的转化进展和基因组编辑方案。本项目产生的所有薯蓣基因组资源，包括载体、方法和植物材料，将通过爱荷华州立大学植物转化中心和IITA-Kenya分发。

Yam is a major source of dietary starch for smallholder farm families in many tropical and sub-tropical countries. Despite its global importance, use of modern genomics tools that can facilitate the fundamental understanding of how to increase yam productivity and nutritional quality has lagged behind that of other major crops. The overall goal of this project is to address this missed opportunity and establish robust genetic and genomic resources for yams. The ultimate beneficiaries of these genome-enabled platforms for crop improvement are the female farmers who depend on yams for their livelihoods. This project will develop effective tools for the fundamental understanding and genetic improvement of yam (Dioscorea rotundata), an important African staple crop. The specific objectives include (1) establishing an efficient genome editing platform using a clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) based site-directed mutagenesis system; and, (2) producing and characterizing CRISPR/Cas9-mutagenized yam plants. In addition to providing research training of postdoctoral associates and students, the project will develop and organize a two-week study abroad course in cooperation with IITA-Tanzania to provide Iowa State University undergraduate students practical exposure to the needs and opportunities in global agricultural research. The project will also provide short-term laboratory training experience for African female scientists as well as conduct a focused workshop at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA-Kenya) to share the latest transformation developments and genome editing protocols with African scientists. All genome-enabled resource for yams, including vectors, methods and plant materials, generated in this project will be distributed through the Iowa State University Center for Plant Transformation and IITA-Kenya.