AUTHOR=Lei Rong , Li Yuan , Li Limei , Wang Jingyi , Cui Zhenhai , Ju Rui , Jiang Li , Liao Xiaoling , Wu Pinshan , Wang Xinyi 

TITLE=A CRISPR/Cas12a-based portable platform for rapid detection of Leptosphaeria maculans in Brassica crops

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.976510

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2022.976510

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>Establishing a portable diagnostic method for identifying plant pathogens is essential to prevent the spread of plant disease, especially in field and customs inspections. <italic>Leptosphaeria maculans</italic> (<italic>L. maculans</italic>) is an aggressive fungus, which causes severe phoma stem canker of <italic>Brassica napus</italic>, responsible for major yield losses of oilseed rape worldwide. In this study, CRISPR/Cas12a-based detection system and recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) technique were employed to develop a rapid and sensitive detection method for identifying <italic>L. maculans</italic>. The involved RPA pre-amplification and CRISPR/Cas12a cleavage confer considerable sensitivity and selectivity, which can be finished within 45 min with a LOD of 4.7 genomic DNA copies. This detection system was further developed to two portable platforms, i.e., one-pot lateral flow detection and all-in-one chip lateral flow assay (AOCLFA), which integrates the lyophilized recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) reagents and lyophilized Cas12a cleavage reagents in one tube or chip. The developed portable platforms have flexible portability and simple operation for the detection of <italic>L. maculans</italic> from plant tissues in the field. The proposed portable suitcase containing the minimum equipment, regents, and AOCLFA meets the practical needs of rapid <italic>on-site</italic> disease screening of plant fungi, port quarantine, or pathogen spreading control.</p>