Editing the genome of common cereals (Rice and Wheat): techniques, applications, and industrial aspects

Gene editing techniques have made a significant contribution to the development of better crops. Gene editing enables precise changes in the genome of crops, which can introduce new possibilities for altering the crops' traits. Since the last three decades, various gene editing techniques such as meganucleases, zinc finger nuclease (ZFN), transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN), and clustered regularly interspersed short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas (CRISPR-associated proteins) have been discovered. In this review, we discuss various gene editing techniques and their applications to common cereals. Further, we elucidate the future of gene-edited crops, their regulatory features, and industrial aspects globally. To achieve this, we perform a comprehensive literature survey using databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS, Google Scholar etc. For the literature search, we used keywords such as gene editing, crop genome modification, CRISPR/Cas, ZFN, TALEN, meganucleases etc. With the advent of the CRISPR/Cas technology in the last decade, the future of gene editing has transitioned into a new dimension. The functionality of CRISPR/Cas in both DNA and RNA has increased through the use of various Cas enzymes and their orthologs. Constant research efforts in this direction have improved the gene editing process for crops by minimizing its off-target effects. Scientists also use computational tools, which help them to design experiments and analyze the results of gene editing experiments in advance. Gene editing has diverse potential applications. In the future, gene editing will open new avenues for solving more agricultural issues and boosting crop production, which may have great industrial prospects.