Genome editing of maize

Description

Although most genome editing efforts focus on modifications to gene coding regions, this chapter emphasizes genome editing of the upstream regulatory regions. Thoughtful editing of the promoter region will ultimately lead to improved plants, modified for more precise control of the intensity and specificity of native gene expression. In this chapter, we present an overview of the promoter or upstream regulatory region of a gene, and describe how this sequence is defined and studied. We then describe how the composition and arrangements of cis-regulatory elements within the promoter and the leading intron associated with the promoter region have been studied using classical transgenic approaches to reveal what regulatory components might be suitable for genome editing approaches. Finally, we offer some suggestions for pursuit of promoter editing and gene expression modulation, which will eventually lead to modified plants with an altered regulation of native gene expression.

Table of contents

1 Introduction 2 Site-specific engineering in maize: an overview 3 Current challenges in maize genome editing 4 Case study: gene editing of a recalcitrant line by co-bombardment of morphogenic genes (Babyboom/Wuschel) and CRISPR/Cas9 reagents 5 Conclusion and future trends 6 Acknowledgements 7 Where to look for further information 8 References