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REVIEW article

Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Biotechnology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1478398
This article is part of the Research Topic Genetically Modified (GM) and Genome-Edited (GE) Plants For Achieving Sustainable Agriculture View all 7 articles

Recent Advances of CRISPR-based Genome Editing for Enhancing Staple Crops

Provisionally accepted
Chun Ping Liu Chun Ping Liu 1,2Lu Chen Lu Chen 3Zhao Yan Zhao Yan 4Jingyuan Xu Jingyuan Xu 4Luoluo Feng Luoluo Feng 4Na He Na He 4Mingli Guo Mingli Guo 1Jiaxiong Zhao Jiaxiong Zhao 1,5Zhijun Chen Zhijun Chen 1,5Huiqi Chen Huiqi Chen 1,5Gengzhen Yao Gengzhen Yao 1Feng Chen Feng Chen 4*
  • 1 State Key Laboratory of Dampness Syndrome of Chinese Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
  • 2 Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory of Immunology and Genetic Research on Chronic Kidney Disease, Guangzhou, China
  • 3 Pharma Technology A/S, Denmark, Denmark
  • 4 Changshu Institute of Technology, Suzhou, China
  • 5 Second Clinical Medical College, Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    An increasing population, climate change, and diminishing natural resources present severe threats to global food security, with traditional breeding and genetic engineering methods often falling short in addressing these rapidly evolving challenges.CRISPR/Cas systems have emerged as revolutionary tools for precise genetic modifications in crops, offering significant advancements in resilience, yield, and nutritional value, particularly in staple crops like rice and maize. This review highlights the transformative potential of CRISPR/Cas technology, emphasizing recent innovations such as prime and base editing, and the development of novel CRISPRassociated proteins, which have significantly improved the specificity, efficiency, and scope of genome editing in agriculture. These advancements enable targeted genetic modifications that enhance tolerance to abiotic stresses as well as biotic stresses.Additionally, CRISPR/Cas plays a crucial role in improving crop yield and quality by enhancing photosynthetic efficiency, nutrient uptake, and resistance to lodging, while also improving taste, texture, shelf life, and nutritional content through biofortification.Despite challenges such as off-target effects, the need for more efficient delivery methods, and ethical and regulatory concerns, the review underscores the importance of CRISPR/Cas in addressing global food security and sustainability challenges. It calls for continued research and integration of CRISPR with other emerging technologies like nanotechnology, synthetic biology, and machine learning to fully realize its potential in developing resilient, productive, and sustainable agricultural systems.

    Keywords: Climate Change, CRISPR/Cas system, Genetic modifications, abiotic stress, global food security, Sustainable agricultural

    Received: 09 Aug 2024; Accepted: 03 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Liu, Chen, Yan, Xu, Feng, He, Guo, Zhao, Chen, Chen, Yao and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Feng Chen, Changshu Institute of Technology, Suzhou, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.