Adaptation of bacterial natural single guide RNA (tracr-L) for efficient plant genome editing.

A long tracrRNA (tracr-L), which naturally act as single guide RNA, and its truncated version, Δtracr-L, from S. pyogenes, efficiently induce Cas9-mediated double-strand breaks (DSBs) in plant genomic loci, as demonstrated by in vitro cleavage assay and protoplast transfection. CRISPR-Cas system provides a form of immune memory in prokaryotes and archaea, protecting them against viruses and foreign genetic elements.

Potential gene editing targets for developing haploid inducer stocks in rice and wheat with high haploid induction frequency.

Unlabelled: Doubled haploid (DH) breeding is a powerful technique to ensure global food security via accelerated crop improvement. DH can be produced by employing haploid inducer stock (HIS). Widely used HIS in maize is known to be governed by , , and  genes.

Differential Expression of Genes at Panicle Initiation and Grain Filling Stages Implied in Heterosis of Rice Hybrids.

RNA-Seq technology was used to analyze the transcriptome of two rice hybrids, Ajay (based on wild-abortive (WA)-cytoplasm) and Rajalaxmi (based on Kalinga-cytoplasm), and their respective parents at the panicle initiation (PI) and grain filling (GF) stages. Around 293 and 302 million high quality paired-end reads of Ajay and Rajalaxmi, respectively, were generated and aligned against the Nipponbare reference genome. Transcriptome profiling of Ajay revealed 2814 and 4819 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) at the PI and GF stages, respectively, as compared to its parents.

Introgression of Sub1 (SUB1) QTL in mega rice cultivars increases ethylene production to the detriment of grain- filling under stagnant flooding.

In the recent time, Submergence1 (Sub1)QTL, responsible for imparting tolerance to flash flooding, has been introduced in many rice cultivars, but resilience of the QTL to stagnant flooding (SF) is not known. The response of Sub1-introgression has been tested on physiology, molecular biology and yield of two popular rice cultivars (Swarna and Savitri) by comparison of the parental and Sub1-introgression lines (SwarnaSub1 and SavitriSub1) under SF. Compared to control condition SF reduced grain yield and tiller number and increased plant height and Sub1- introgression mostly matched these effects.

Proteo-metabolomic investigation of transgenic rice unravels metabolic alterations and accumulation of novel proteins potentially involved in defence against Rhizoctonia solani.

The generation of sheath blight (ShB)-resistant transgenic rice plants through the expression of Arabidopsis NPR1 gene is a significant development for research in the field of biotic stress. However, to our knowledge, regulation of the proteomic and metabolic networks in the ShB-resistant transgenic rice plants has not been studied. In the present investigation, the relative proteome and metabolome profiles of the non-transformed wild-type and the AtNPR1-transgenic rice lines prior to and subsequent to the R.

Development of a rapid and highly efficient -mediated transformation system for pigeon pea [ (L.) Millsp].

An efficient genetic transformation system is a prerequisite for studying gene functions, molecular breeding program, and introducing new traits. mediated genetic transformation is a widely preferred and accepted method for many plants, including pigeon pea. However, the efficiency of transformation of pigeon pea using the existing protocols is low and time-consuming.

Advances in understanding salt tolerance in rice.

This review presents a comprehensive overview of the recent research on rice salt tolerance in the areas of genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and chemical genomics. Salinity is one of the major constraints in rice cultivation globally. Traditionally, rice is a glycophyte except for a few genotypes that have been widely used in salinity tolerance breeding of rice.

DNA as a digital information storage device: hope or hype?

The total digital information today amounts to 3.52 × 10 bits globally, and at its consistent exponential rate of growth is expected to reach 3 × 10 bits by 2040. Data storage density of silicon chips is limited, and magnetic tapes used to maintain large-scale permanent archives begin to deteriorate within 20 years.

Tissue-specific expression of Arabidopsis NPR1 gene in rice for sheath blight resistance without compromising phenotypic cost.

Rice sheath blight disease, caused by the fungus Rhizoctonia solani, is considered the second most important disease of rice after blast. NPR1 (non expressor of PR1) is the central regulator of systemic acquired resistance (SAR) conferring broad spectrum resistance to various pathogens. Previous reports have indicated that constitutive expression of the Arabidopsis thaliana NPR1 (AtNPR1) gene results in disease resistance in rice but has a negative impact on growth and agronomic traits.

Green tissue-specific co-expression of chitinase and oxalate oxidase 4 genes in rice for enhanced resistance against sheath blight.

Green tissue-specific simultaneous overexpression of two defense-related genes ( OsCHI11 & OsOXO4 ) in rice leads to significant resistance against sheath blight pathogen ( R. solani ) without distressing any agronomically important traits. Overexpressing two defense-related genes (OsOXO4 and OsCHI11) cloned from rice is effective at enhancing resistance against sheath blight caused by Rhizoctonia solani.

Identification and analysis of novel salt responsive candidate gene based SSRs (cgSSRs) from rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Background: Majority of the Asian people depend on rice for nutritional energy. Rice cultivation and yield are severely affected by soil salinity stress worldwide. Marker assisted breeding is a rapid and efficient way to develop improved variety for salinity stress tolerance.

Development of pod borer-resistant transgenic chickpea using a pod-specific and a constitutive promoter-driven fused cry1Ab/Ac gene.

We studied pod-specific msg promoter from soybean and developed different transgenic lines of chickpea expressing fused cry1Ab/Ac constitutively and pod specifically for resistance against the destructive pest Helicoverpa armigera. Crystal (Cry) proteins derived from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) play an important role in controlling infestation of Helicoverpa armigera, which has been considered a serious problem in chickpea productivity. This study was undertaken to overcome the problem by introducing fused cry1Ab/Ac insecticidal gene under the control of pod-specific soybean msg promoter as well as rice actin1 promoter into chickpea var.