Advances and perspectives on the use of CRISPR/Cas9 systems in plant genomics research.
Genome editing with site specific nucleases has become a powerful tool for functional characterization of plant genes and genetic improvement of agricultural crops. Among the various site specific nuclease based technologies available for genome editing, the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR associated protein 9 (Cas9) systems have shown the greatest potential for rapid and efficient editing of genomes in plant species. This article reviews the current status of application of CRISPR/Cas9 to plant genomics research, with a focus on loss of function and gain of function analysis of individual genes in the context of perennial plants and the potential application of CRISPR/Cas9 to perturbation of gene expression, and identification and analysis of gene modules as part of an accelerated domestication and synthetic biology effort.
Current opinion in plant biology