Scientists at Osaka University in Japan and partners have used successfully target genome editing in potato using transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), according to results published in the Plant Biotechnology journal.
The report notes that genome editing using site-specific nucleases such as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat–CRISPR-associated protein 9 and TALENs are highly useful in crop breeding.
In the study, the researchers infected a potato with Agrobacterium tumefaciens harboring TALEN-expression vector targeting sterol side chain reductase 2 (SSR2) gene and regenerated shoots without selection. The results was that they were able to regenerate lines with disrupted-SSR2 gene and without transgene of the TALEN gene, indicating transient gene expression.
Based on the results, it was found that Agrobacterial mutagenesis has the potential to accelerate the use of genome-editing technology to modify heterozygous plant genomes.
