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Scalable Transfection of Maize Mesophyll Protoplasts
Published on: June 23, 2023
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Increased maize chromosome number by engineered chromosome fission
Yibing Zeng1, Mingyu Wang2, Jonathan I Gent3
1Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
Science Advances
|May 21, 2025
Summary
Scientists engineered maize chromosome 4 to split into two stable pairs using synthetic centromeres. This breakthrough in chromosome engineering resulted in healthy plants with an increased chromosome number.
Area of Science:
- Plant genetics
- Chromosome engineering
- Synthetic biology
Background:
- Synthetic centromeres can induce chromosome breakage in maize, forming neochromosomes.
- Neochromosomes exhibit low and unpredictable transmission rates due to trisomy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To stabilize chromosome fission events using synthetic centromeres.
- To engineer complementary chromosome pairs with functional synthetic centromeres.
Main Methods:
- Activation of synthetic centromeres on maize chromosome 4.
- Selection for dicentric recombinants through male crosses.
- Analysis of chromosome segregation and gene expression.
Main Results:
- Chromosome 4 fissioned into 4a-4b complementary pairs, each with a centromere.
- De novo telomere formation stabilized chromosome ends.
- Homozygous 4a and 4b chromosomes segregated normally during meiosis.
- Engineered maize plants exhibited normal growth and seed set.
Conclusions:
- Synthetic centromeres can be leveraged to engineer stable chromosome fission.
- This method successfully increased the diploid chromosome number in maize.
- The synthetic centromere proved fully functional, enabling normal plant development.
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