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Published on: July 16, 2019
Transient expression of a TaGRF4-TaGIF1 complex stimulates wheat regeneration and improves genome editing
Fengti Qiu1,2, Sinian Xing1, Chenxiao Xue1,3
1State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Center for Genome Editing, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
Abstract:
Genome editing is an unprecedented technological breakthrough but low plant regeneration frequencies and genotype dependence hinder its implementation for crop improvement. Here, we found that transient expression of a complex of the growth regulators TaGRF4 and TaGIF1 (TaGRF4-TaGIF1) increased regeneration and genome editing frequency in wheat. When we introduced synonymous mutation in the miR396 target site of TaGRF4, the resulting complex (mTaGRF4-TaGIF1) performed better than original TaGRF4-TaGIF1. Use of mTaGRF4-TaGIF1 together with a cytosine base editor targeting TaALS resulted in 2-9-fold increases in regeneration and transgene-free genome editing in 11 elite common wheat cultivars. Therefore, mTaGRF4-TaGIF1 will undoubtedly be of great value in crop improvement and especially in commercial applications, since it greatly increased the range of cultivars available for transformation.
