A strategy for decreasing prolamin content in rice endosperm through gene editing

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Genetics
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Rice is a staple food, but its nutritional profile can be improved.
• Prolamins are major storage proteins in rice grains, impacting nutritional quality.
• Enhancing essential amino acids like lysine is crucial for human nutrition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of reducing prolamin content on rice quality using multiplex CRISPR editing.
• To identify key genes involved in prolamin synthesis and reduction.
• To assess the effects on nutritional content, digestibility, and taste.

Main Methods:

• Utilized multiplex CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing to target prolamin genes in rice.
• Conducted phenotype-based screening to evaluate edited rice lines.
• Analyzed changes in prolamin content, lysine levels, protein digestibility, and sensory attributes.

Main Results:

• Multiplex CRISPR editing successfully reduced prolamin content in rice.
• Lowered prolamin levels correlated with increased lysine content and improved digestibility.
• Specific genes, PROLM25 and PROLM26, were identified as critical targets for prolamin reduction.
• Knocking out PROLM25 and PROLM26 achieved significant reductions in prolamin, enhancing nutritional and sensory qualities.

Conclusions:

• Reducing prolamin content via CRISPR editing is a viable strategy to enhance rice nutritional value.
• Targeting PROLM25 and PROLM26 offers an efficient approach to improve lysine content, digestibility, and taste in rice.
• This research provides a foundation for developing improved rice varieties with better nutritional profiles.