CRISPR-edited plants by grafting

Agricultural biotechnology

Nature Biotechnology

(2023)Cite this article

Subjects

Edited, transgene-free plants are produced without tissue culture by RNA migration from rootstocks to grafts.

Plant engineering and breeding are entering an era of rapid progress thanks to the sophistication of new tools for genomics research and genetic modification1. Foremost among these tools is CRISPR genome editing, which enables precise genetic changes to improve crop phenotypes. Yet several aspects of this technology would benefit from optimization. New work in Nature Biotechnology by Yang et al.2 tackles the lengthy time frames required to produce transgene-free edited plants. The authors introduce a CRISPR delivery method that uses rootstock grafting to transfer mobile CRISPR RNAs from a transgenic donor plant to a compatible wild-type recipient plant, enabling the creation of homozygous edited Arabidopsis thaliana plants in just one generation of breeding.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Subscribe to Nature+

Get immediate online access to Nature and 55 other Nature journal

Subscribe to Journal

Get full journal access for 1 year

$99.00

only $8.25 per issue

All prices are NET prices.
VAT will be added later in the checkout.
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Buy article

Get time limited or full article access on ReadCube.

$32.00

All prices are NET prices.

Fig. 1: Mobile CRISPR grafting strategy for transgene-free genome editing.

References

  1. Gao, C. Cell 184, 1621–1635 (2021).

    Article 
    CAS 

    Google Scholar
     

  2. Yang, L., Machin, F., Wang, S., Saplaoura, E. & Kragler, F. Nat. Biotechnol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-022-01585-8 (2022).

  3. Zhang, Y. et al. Nat. Commun. 7, 12617 (2016).

    Article 
    CAS 

    Google Scholar
     

  4. Liang, Z. et al. Nat. Commun. 8, 14261 (2017).

    Article 
    CAS 

    Google Scholar
     

  5. Svitashev, S., Schwartz, C., Lenderts, B., Young, J. K. & Mark Cigan, A. Nat. Commun. 7, 13274 (2016).

    Article 
    CAS 

    Google Scholar
     

  6. Woo, J. W. et al. Nat. Biotechnol. 33, 1162–1164 (2015).

    Article 
    CAS 

    Google Scholar
     

  7. Andersson, M. et al. Plant Cell Rep. 36, 117–128 (2017).

    Article 
    CAS 

    Google Scholar
     

  8. Maher, M. F. et al. Nat. Biotechnol. 38, 84–89 (2020).

    Article 
    CAS 

    Google Scholar
     

  9. Kumagai, Y. et al. Plant Physiol. 188, 1838–1842 (2022).

    Article 
    CAS 

    Google Scholar
     

  10. Kelliher, T. et al. Nat. Biotechnol. 37, 287–292 (2019).

    Article 
    CAS 

    Google Scholar
     

  11. Ellison, E. E. et al. Nat. Plants 6, 620–624 (2020).

    Article 
    CAS 

    Google Scholar
     

  12. Li, T. et al. Mol. Plant 14, 1787–1798 (2021).

    Article 
    CAS 

    Google Scholar
     

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Center for Genome Editing, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    Jiacheng Hu & Caixia Gao

  2. College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    Jiacheng Hu & Caixia Gao

Corresponding author

Correspondence to
Caixia Gao.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hu, J., Gao, C. CRISPR-edited plants by grafting.
Nat Biotechnol (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-022-01516-7

Download citation

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-022-01516-7

Associated Content

Read More
Jiacheng Hu

WD sees sustainability as key business driver in an ‘AI economy’

Hard drive company WD promoted long-term operations and sustainability executive Jackie Jung to become its first chief sustainability officer in February, as it steps up sales to companies building AI data centers. Her vision: Turn sustainability into a “brand” for WD, a strategy that reduces risk for the $6 billion company (formerly known as Western

5 Business Ideas Worth Starting in 2026

If there is one thing Nigerians understand well, it is how to spot opportunity inside hardship. In 2026, that mindset will matter more than ever. The economy is tough, competition is rising, and many people are looking for smarter ways to earn, build, and survive. But even in a difficult environment, some businesses still stand

Getting a business loan now comes with a frequent flyer upside

Australian fintech Prospa has partnered with Qantas Business Rewards, letting eligible SMEs earn up to 500,000 points per loan. What’s happening: Australian fintech lender Prospa has partnered with Qantas Business Rewards to allow eligible small and medium business owners to earn up to 500,000 Qantas Points per loan when taking out a Prospa Small Business