RII Track-2 FEC: Genome Engineering to Sustain Crop Improvement (GETSCI)

需要改进和实用的作物育种工具，以满足不断增长的全球人口日益增长的需求，并克服因气候变化而变得更糟的突然和可变的压力。该项目汇集了来自夏威夷大学马诺阿分校和爱荷华州州立大学的研究人员，以开发一种高效，强大的基因组工程工具包，可用于加速适应不断变化的环境的弹性作物的产生。生殖障碍是限制作物改良可用遗传多样性的主要瓶颈。热带玉米种质资源具有丰富的遗传多样性，但其开花习性在温带地区，阻碍了其在玉米改良中的广泛应用。为了获得这种多样性，我们两个机构形成了一个合作，将我们在热带植物生物学和转化（夏威夷）与玉米转化，基因组工程和育种（爱荷华州）的优势相结合。我们的目标是建立一个快速有效的遗传转化平台，并开发改进的基因组编辑工具，以重新编程高产热带玉米品系的开花行为，使其能够纳入任何玉米育种计划。夏威夷和爱荷华州都将在遗传转化和基因组工程方面获得宝贵的新能力，这将改变这两个机构可能进行的作物研究类型。该项目的预期影响将有助于发展新的热带作物育种业，从而有助于解决夏威夷的粮食安全和经济弱点。在爱荷华州，获得基因编辑的温度适应性热带种质将使玉米改良进入基因组优化育种的下一个时代。将通过以下方式提高劳动力能力：让代表性不足的学生，特别是夏威夷土著人和太平洋岛民参与基因组工程研究的各个方面;在伙伴机构之间交换本科生，以培养具有全球竞争力、多元文化和对社会负责的劳动力;通过培训班、讲习班、并与社区合作，宣传这些新工具的价值和安全性。对我们的未来至关重要的是保持作物的遗传改良速度，这些作物养活了我们并维持了我们的经济。但气候变化造成的突然和日益严重的压力限制了改善的步伐。基因组工程的进展通过实现分子网络的精确和有针对性的重编程来改善作物性能，从而提供了快速的解决方案。热带玉米丰富的遗传多样性在玉米改良中基本上没有得到充分利用，因为热带品系对光周期敏感，并且在温带种植区的长日照下开花较晚。为了获得这种多样性，我们在夏威夷大学马诺阿分校（UH Manoa）和爱荷华州州立大学（ISU）之间建立了合作关系，将热带植物系统生物学和转化（UH Manoa）与玉米转化，基因组工程和育种（ISU）的优势整合在一起。我们的目标是利用基因编辑来抑制优质高产热带玉米的光周期反应，以促进提早开花。然后，这些编辑的热带品系可以用于增强任何玉米育种计划。我们的目标是（1）建立一个高效的，不依赖于种质的玉米转化平台，（2）开发一个简单易行的基因组编辑工具包，以抑制六个热带自交系的光周期反应，（3）分析基因组编辑的热带品系中的光周期网络功能，以及（4）提高沟通这些新基因组工程工具的价值和安全性的技能。该项目的成果包括两个司法管辖区新的热带玉米转化能力，用于调节玉米开花的基因组编辑试剂，适应温带育种计划的六个精英热带自交系，对重新编程开花网络的反应的机械理解，以及提高在专业和公共环境中传达这项技术价值的技能。该项目预计将产生更广泛的影响，包括向学术实验室开放这项技术，通过允许对不同作物进行基因组工程来建立研究能力。这些工具的民主化有望加速育种进步，维持作物改良工作，并刺激经济增长。夏威夷和爱荷华州都将在玉米转化和基因组工程方面获得宝贵的新能力，并将改变这两个机构可能进行的作物研究类型。在夏威夷，该项目将通过发展新的热带作物育种业，帮助解决这一流行病暴露出的粮食安全和经济弱点。在爱荷华州，获得基因编辑的适应温度的热带种质将玉米改良带入了基因组优化育种的下一个时代。将通过以下方式提高劳动力能力：让代表性不足的学生，特别是夏威夷土著人和太平洋岛民参与基因组工程研究的各个方面;在伙伴机构之间交换本科生，以培养具有全球竞争力、多元文化和对社会负责的劳动力;通过培训班、讲习班、该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Improved and practical crop breeding tools are required to meet the increasing demands of a growing global population and to overcome the sudden and variable stresses, made worse, by climate change. This project brings together researchers from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa and Iowa State University to develop an efficient, robust genome engineering toolkit that can be used to speed the generation of resilient crops adapted to a changing environment. Reproductive barriers are a major bottleneck that limits the genetic diversity available for crop improvement. Tropical maize germplasm is a rich source of genetic diversity but its flowering behavior in temperate regions precludes its broad use for maize improvement. To access this diversity, our two institutions formed a collaboration that integrates our strengths in tropical plant biology and transformation (Hawai’i) with maize transformation, genome engineering, and breeding (Iowa). Our goals are to establish a rapid and efficient genetic transformation platform and to develop improved genome editing tools to reprogram the flowering behavior of high-yielding tropical maize lines allowing their incorporation into any maize breeding program. Both Hawai’i and Iowa will gain a valuable new capability in genetic transformation and genome engineering which will transform the types of crop research possible at both institutions. Expected impacts from this project will help address food security and economic weaknesses in Hawai’i, by allowing for the development of new tropical crop breeding industries. In Iowa, access to gene-edited temperate-adapted tropical germplasm will move maize improvement into the next era of genome-optimized breeding. Workforce capacity will be increased by engaging underrepresented students, particularly Native Hawai’ians and Pacific Islanders, in diverse aspects of genome engineering research, by the exchange of undergraduates between partner institutions to prepare a globally competitive, multiculturally, and socially responsible workforce, and by creating opportunities for improved science communication skills through training sessions, workshops, and engagement with the community to communicate the value and safety of these new tools. Critical to our future is maintaining the rate of genetic improvement of the crops that feed us and sustain our economy. But the sudden and increasingly severe stresses caused by climate change limit the pace of improvement. Advances in genome engineering offer rapid solutions by enabling precise and targeted reprogramming of molecular networks to improve crop performance. The rich genetic diversity in tropical maize is largely underutilized for maize improvement because tropical lines are photoperiod sensitive and flower late in the long-days of temperate growing regions. To access this diversity, we formed a collaboration between the University of Hawai’i at Manoa (UH Manoa) and Iowa State University (ISU), which integrates strengths in tropical plant system biology and transformation (UH Manoa) with maize transformation, genome engineering, and breeding (ISU). Our goal is to use gene editing to suppress the photoperiod response in elite, high-yielding tropical maize to promote earlier flowering. These edited tropical lines can then be used to enhance any maize breeding program. Our objectives are to (1) establish an efficient, germplasm-independent maize transformation platform, (2) develop a facile, tractable genome editing toolkit to suppress the photoperiod response in six tropical inbreds, (3) analyze photoperiod network function in genome edited tropical lines, and (4) improve skills in communicating the value and safety of these new genome engineering tools. The outcomes from this project include new tropical maize transformation capabilities at both jurisdictions, genome editing reagents for modulating flowering in maize, six elite tropical inbreds adapted to temperate breeding programs, a mechanistic understanding of the response to reprogramming the flowering network, and improved skills to communicate the value of this technology in professional and public contexts. Broader impacts expected from this project include opening this technology to academic labs, that can build research capacity by allowing genome engineering of diverse crops. Democratizing these tools are expected to speed breeding advancements, sustain crop improvement efforts, and spur economic growth. Both Hawai’i and Iowa will gain a valuable new capability in maize transformation and genome engineering, and will transform the types of crop research possible at both institutions. In Hawai’i, this project will help address food security and economic weaknesses revealed by the pandemic, by allowing for development of new tropical crop breeding industries. In Iowa, access to gene-edited temperate-adapted tropical germplasm moves maize improvement into the next era of genome-optimized breeding. Workforce capacity will be increased by engaging underrepresented students, particularly Native Hawai’ians and Pacific Islanders, in diverse aspects of genome engineering research, by the exchange of undergraduates between partner institutions to prepare a globally competitive, multiculturally, and socially responsible workforce, and by creating opportunities for improved science communication skills through training sessions, workshops, and engagement with the community to communicate the value and safety of these new tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.