Identification of CEP peptides encoded by the tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) genome and characterization of their roles in osmotic and salt stress responses.

Members of the CEP (C-terminally Encoded Peptide) gene family have been shown to be involved in various developmental processes and stress responses in plants. In order to understand the roles of CEP peptides in stress response, a comprehensive bioinformatics approach was employed to identify NtCEP genes in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) and to analyze their potential roles in stress responses.

Improving a Quantitative Trait in Rice by Multigene Editing with CRISPR-Cas9.

CRISPR-Cas9 system is one sequence-specific nuclease (SSN) that has several advantages over zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) and transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN), such as multiplex genome editing. With multiplex genome editing, CRISPR-Cas9 becomes a preferred SSN to edit many quantitative trait loci (QTL) simultaneously for trait improvement in major crops. A multiplexed CRISPR system is also important for deletion of a large fragment within a chromosome, analysis of the function of gene families, exon exchange, gene activation, and repression.

Multiplex QTL editing of grain-related genes improves yield in elite rice varieties.

Significant yield increase has been achieved by simultaneous introduction of three trait-related QTLs in three rice varieties with multiplex editing by CRISPR-Cas9. Using traditional breeding approaches to develop new elite rice varieties with high yield and superior quality is challenging. It usually requires introduction of multiple trait-related quantitative trait loci (QTLs) into an elite background through multiple rounds of crossing and selection.