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Viral delivery of an RNA-guided genome editor for transgene-free plant germline editing

Weiss, T.; Kamalu, M.; Shi, H.; Li, Z.; Amerasekera, J.; Adler, B. A.; Song, M.; Vohra, K.; Wirnowski, G.; Chitkara, S.; Ambrose, C.; Steinmetz, N.; Sridharan, A.; Sahagun, D.; Banfield, J.; Doudna, J.; Jacobsen, S. E.

2024-07-19 plant biology
10.1101/2024.07.17.603964 bioRxiv
Show abstract

AbstractGenome editing is transforming plant biology by enabling precise DNA modifications. However, delivery of editing systems into plants remains challenging, often requiring slow, genotype-specific methods such as tissue culture or transformation. Plant viruses, which naturally infect and spread to most tissues, present a promising delivery system for editing reagents. But most viruses have limited cargo capacities, restricting their ability to carry large CRISPR-Cas systems. Here, we engineered tobacco rattle virus (TRV) to carry the compact RNA-guided TnpB enzyme ISYmu1 and its guide RNA. This innovation allowed transgene-free editing of Arabidopsis thaliana in a single step, with edits inherited in the subsequent generation. By overcoming traditional reagent delivery barriers, this approach offers a novel platform for genome editing, which can greatly accelerate plant biotechnology and basic research.

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