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Breeding by Design for Functional Rice with Genome Editing Technologies
Published on: January 3, 2025
A Robust Framework for Maize Elite Line Genome Editing Through Enhanced HI-Edit via LbCas12a Activity Optimization
Dawei Liang1,2, Huanhuan Guo2, Juan Wei2
1State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-breeding, National Maize Improvement Center, Department of Plant Genetics and Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
Plant Biotechnology Journal
|July 4, 2026
Summary
Researchers boosted maize genome editing efficiency using haploid induction (HI-Edit) by optimizing CRISPR-Cas protein delivery and applying heat treatment. This enhances the yield of edited doubled haploid (DH) plants, offering a scalable framework for crop improvement.
Area of Science:
- Agricultural Science
- Biotechnology
- Genetics
Background:
- Haploid induction coupled with genome editing (HI-Edit) allows direct modification of elite crop varieties.
- Low haploid editing rates (HER) limit the widespread application of HI-Edit.
- Improving HER is crucial for efficient genome editing in crops.
Purpose of the Study:
- To enhance maize HI-Edit efficiency.
- To overcome bottlenecks in haploid editing rates.
- To develop a scalable framework for elite-line genome editing.
Main Methods:
- Optimized LbCas12a variant (LbCas12aV) expression in sperm cells and zygotes.
- Applied post-pollination heat treatment.
- Fused LbCas12aV with the UBA2 domain to improve protein stability.
Main Results:
- Heat treatment alone increased HER to 19.1%, a 12-fold improvement.
- UBA2 fusion improved HER by 6-fold at the Waxy1 locus and 4.5-fold at the Glossy2 locus.
- Combined UBA2 fusion and heat treatment achieved an average HER of 25%, with a maximum of 33%.
Conclusions:
- Increasing CRISPR-Cas protein abundance and modulating environmental conditions significantly improve HI-Edit efficiency.
- The developed framework is robust, scalable, and transferable to other crops.
- This advancement facilitates efficient genome editing in elite crop lines.
