Investigate and apply the S gene strategy to mitigate the clubroot disease in canola by advanced genome editing technology

油菜（Brassica napus L.）作物持续受到根肿病的威胁，根肿病通过降低油含量和种子重量而显著影响油菜籽质量。种植抗根肿病（CR）品种在适当的轮作仍然是最有效的解决方案，以控制这种疾病。然而，目前可用的CR品种携带单一的、种族特异的、显性的R基因，其不能提供持久的抗性，并且容易随着病原体群体的转移而被分解。一种新的替代策略的基础上的易感性（S）基因已被提出，因为他们有可能是持久的领域。与传统育种不同，通过精确的基因组编辑工具，通过引入位点特异性突变来破坏S基因，可以很容易地赋予抗病性。在这个项目中，我们将研究根肿病抗性/易感性的分子和细胞机制，并确定新的S基因。随后，我们将利用先进的基因组编辑和纳米技术来操纵油菜中的这些S基因，并产生具有增强的根肿病抗性的无转基因植物。这项研究将加快育种过程，从而减少油菜产业在新品种育种方面的投资成本。最终，该项目产生的知识、种质、分子标记和纳米颗粒介导的基因组编辑工具将加速育种周期，并使加拿大油菜产业受益。

The canola (Brassica napus L.) crop is continually threatened by the clubroot disease, which significantly affects canola seed quality by reducing oil content and seed weight. Growing clubroot-resistant (CR) cultivars in appropriate rotations remains the most effective solution to control this disease. However, currently available CR varieties carry a single, race-specific, dominant R gene, which cannot provide durable resistance and are easily broken down with a shift in the pathogen population. A new alternative strategy based on susceptibility (S) genes has been proposed as they have the potential to be durable in the field. Different from conventional breeding, disease resistance can be easily conferred by introducing site-specific mutations to disrupt S genes via a precise genome-editing tool. In this proposed project, we will investigate molecular and cellular mechanisms of clubroot resistance/susceptibility and identify novel S genes. Subsequently, we will utilize advanced genome editing and nanotechnology to manipulate these S genes in canola and generate transgene-free plants with enhanced clubroot resistance. This study will expedite the breeding process and, consequently, reduce the investment costs to the canola industry in the breeding of new cultivars. Eventually, the knowledge, germplasm, molecular markers and nanoparticle-mediated genome editing tools generated from this project will accelerate breeding cycles and benefit the Canadian canola industry.