冷泉港實驗室Lippman研究組利用基因組編輯技術進行作物數量性狀變異設計

近日，美國冷泉港實驗室Zachary Lippman研究組利用基因組編輯技術進行數量性狀變異設計以達到作物改良的目的。研究結果於2017年9月14日在線發表於《Cell》上。

未來幾十年作物產量需要大幅提升。然而，植物育種目前受數量性狀漸進式改善的限制，這些數量性狀常常依賴於基因調控區稀有自然發生突變的費力選擇。本研究發現啟動子的CRISPR/Cas9基因編輯產生不同的順式調控等位基因，為植物育種提供有益的數量變異。研究人員設計了一個簡單的遺傳方案，利用雜合功能缺失突變體的Cas9的隔代遺傳，以快速評估眾多啟動子突變體對番茄三個主要產量性狀基因調控的影響：果實大小、花序分支和植物株型。本研究方法可快速選擇與固定新的等位基因在非轉基因植物及精細操縱產量性狀。除可提高不同農藝性狀的變異外，本研究結果還為解析調控變化與數量性狀控制間的複雜關係奠定了基礎。

Figure 1. Engineering Quantitative Trait Variation for Crop Improvement by Genome Editing.

Zachary Lippman

Professor

Ph.D., Watson School of Biological Sciences at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 2004

Zachary Lippman』s research focuses on the process of flowering and flower production, which is a major contributor to plant reproductive success and agricultural yield. By identifying genes that control how tomato plants produce their flowers in their characteristic repeated zigzag arrangement (e.g., tomatoes on a vine), Lippman』s lab is addressing when and how flowering branches known as inflorescences develop on plants, particularly fruit-bearing plants. Of particular interest is how these 「reproductive phase transitions」 have contributed to the evolution of diverse inflorescence branching patterns in tomato』s larger Solanaceae family, which includes plants that make just one flower, such as pepper and petunia, in each inflorescence, to plants whose inflorescences produce dozens of branches and hundreds of flowers, such as many wild species of tomato. Using a combination of genetic, genomic, and molecular approaches, Lippman is dissecting the gene networks that are responsible for the variation in inflorescence branching found in nature. He hopes to leverage these discoveries to improve crop yields. Already, his work on genes that are responsible for the production and activity of a universal flowering hormone known as florigen has resulted in novel approaches to fi ne-tune plant architecture and flower production, boosting yield beyond leading commercial varieties. To continue hunting for new genes, Lippman has adopted a systems-biology approach and next-generation sequencing technology to capture those genes that are active as stem cells mature from a vegetative to a reproductive state. Nearly 4000 genes were found to reflect the existence of a 「maturation clock,」 and one of the clock genes known asTerminating Floweracts as a key regulator to maintain a progressive pace to flowering—which in turn, dictates how many flowers are produced on each tomato inflorescence. Finally, the Lippman lab determined the genome sequence of the 「currant tomato,」 the wild ancestor of larger-fruited cultivated tomatoes, in order to better understand how flower and fruit production changed during the process of crop domestication.

Lippman Lab Website:

http://lippmanlab.labsites.cshl.edu/

（以上內容摘自Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory）

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