Gene-edited potatoes with improved quality and health benefits

在世界许多地区，土豆是碳水化合物的主要来源，生物技术的优先事项是创造更健康的土豆，提高收获后的质量。基因编辑可以有效地使目标基因失活，从而在作物中引入理想的品质。例如，灭活一种淀粉分支酶可以导致土豆中更具抗性的淀粉，从而降低血糖指数，有利于肠道健康。然而，在许多情况下，使整个植物中的目标基因失活会导致不希望看到的表型和产量损失。在没有转基因的情况下，以组织特异性的方式进行基因编辑仍然是一个挑战。这项技术的应用将需要对马铃薯块茎发育和储存过程中存在的小RNA进行图谱分析。来自编辑植物的块茎淀粉和糖代谢的后续变化将使用已建立的生化分析来表征。

Potatoes are a staple source of carbohydrates in many parts of the world, and it is a priority for biotechnology to create healthier potatoes that have improved post-harvest quality. Gene editing can effectively inactivate target genes to introduce desirable qualities in crops. For example, inactivating a starch branching enzyme can lead to more resistant starch in potato, which lowers glycaemic index and benefits gut health. However, inactivating target genes in the entire plant can in many cases lead to undesirable phenotypes and yield loss. It remains a challenge to deploy gene editing in a tissue-specific manner without transgenesis.The application of technology will require the profiling of small RNAs present in potato tubers during development and storage. Subsequent changes in starch and sugar metabolism of tubers from edited plants will be characterised using established biochemical analyses.