Creating designer plants using CRISPR technology - a non GMO approach

多年来，通过产生表达外源基因的转基因植物来操纵植物发育的各个方面是可能的，然而，通过改变内源基因而不需要转基因植物来实现这一点一直是长期目标。最近已经开发了能够对内源基因进行基因编辑的技术，这些技术包括锌指核酸酶、TALEN和最近的CRISPR RNA基因编辑系统（Cong等人，2013，de Souza 2013）。该项目将研究使用CRISPR系统改变参与开花控制的基因序列的可能性，以操纵农作物的开花时间。该小组拥有一种基于病毒的表达系统，他们已经成功地用于在烟草植物中表达功能性蛋白质（Li等人，2009）。该项目将测试该表达系统是否可用于将基因编辑蛋白/RNA递送到植物细胞中并创建基因编辑植物。其他已经发表的方法，如在植物原生质体中表达，然后再生基因编辑的植物，也将进行测试。在这个项目中，我们将靶向参与控制作物开花时间的基因，如FLOWESTLOCUS T（FT）和FLC。如果这些方法成功，那么这将彻底改变转基因植物的生产方式，使它们能够在不需要将任何外源DNA掺入其基因组的情况下生产。

For many years it has been possible to manipulate aspects of plant development through the creation of transgenic plants expressing exogenous genes, however it has always been a long-term goal to do this by altering endogenous genes without the need for transgenic plants. Recently technologies have been developed that now enable gene-editing of endogenous genes, such techniques include Zinc finger nucleases, TALENs, and the more recent CRISPR RNA gene editing system (Cong et al. 2013, de Souza 2013). This project will investigate the possibility of using the CRISPR system, to alter the sequences of genes involved in the control of flowering in order to manipulate the flowering time of crop plants. The group have a virus-based expression system which they have already used successfully to express functional proteins in tobacco plants (Li et al. 2009). This project will test whether this expression system can be used to deliver the gene-editing proteins/RNA into plant cells and to create gene-edited plants. Other approaches that have already been published such as expression in plant protoplasts followed by regeneration of gene-edited plants will also be tested. In this project, we will target genes involved in controlling flowering time in crop plants such as FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) and FLC. If such approaches are successful then this will revolutionize the way in which genetically modified plants are produced, enabling them to be produced without the need to incorporate any foreign DNA into their genome.