Improving complex agronomic and domestication traits in the perennial grain crop intermediate wheatgrass with genetic mapping and genomic prediction.

The perennial grass Thinopyrum intermedium (intermediate wheatgrass [IWG]) is being domesticated as a food crop. With a deep root system and high biomass, IWG can help reduce soil and water erosion and limit nutrient runoff. As a novel grain crop undergoing domestication, IWG lags in yield, seed size, and other agronomic traits compared to annual grains.

Genetic constitution and variability in synthetic populations of intermediate wheatgrass, an outcrossing perennial grain crop.

Intermediate wheatgrass (IWG) is a perennial grass that produces nutritious grain while offering substantial ecosystem services. Commercial varieties of this crop are mostly synthetic panmictic populations that are developed by intermating a few selected individuals. As development and generation advancement of these synthetic populations is a multiyear process, earlier synthetic generations are tested by the breeders and subsequent generations are released to the growers.

A dual-luciferase bioluminescence system for the assessment of cellular therapies.

Bioluminescence imaging is a well-established platform for evaluating engineered cell therapies in preclinical studies. However, despite the discovery of new luciferases and substrates, optimal combinations to simultaneously monitor two cell populations remain limited. This makes the functional assessment of cellular therapies cumbersome and expensive, especially in preclinical models.

The genetics of Ug99 stem rust resistance in spring wheat variety 'Linkert'.

Wheat stem rust caused by f. sp. threatens wheat production worldwide.

Uncovering receptor-ligand interactions using a high-avidity CRISPR activation screening platform.

The majority of clinically approved drugs target proteins that are secreted or cell surface bound. However, further advances in this area have been hindered by the challenging nature of receptor deorphanization, as there are still many secreted and cell-bound proteins with unknown binding partners. Here, we developed an advanced screening platform that combines CRISPR-CAS9 guide-mediated gene activation (CRISPRa) and high-avidity bead-based selection.