Improving the Genome Editing Efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 in Melon and Watermelon
CRISPR/Cas9 is a powerful genome editing tool for trait improvement in various crops; however, enhancing mutation efficiency using CRISPR/Cas9 in watermelon and melon remains challenging. We designed four CRISPR systems with different sgRNA expression cassettes to target the phytoene desaturase (<...
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MDPI AG
2024-10-01
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| author | Zhuanrong Wang Lili Wan Jian Ren Na Zhang Hongxia Zeng Jiaqi Wei Mi Tang |
| author_facet | Zhuanrong Wang Lili Wan Jian Ren Na Zhang Hongxia Zeng Jiaqi Wei Mi Tang |
| author_sort | Zhuanrong Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | CRISPR/Cas9 is a powerful genome editing tool for trait improvement in various crops; however, enhancing mutation efficiency using CRISPR/Cas9 in watermelon and melon remains challenging. We designed four CRISPR systems with different sgRNA expression cassettes to target the phytoene desaturase (<i>PDS</i>) gene in melon. The constructed vectors were delivered to host plants using <i>Agrobacterium</i>-mediated transformation. Phenotypic and genotypic analyses of the edited melon seedlings revealed that the CRISPR systems with tRNA and Csy4 spacers driven by the Pol II-type promoter significantly improved mutation efficiency, reaching 25.20% and 42.82%, respectively. Notably, 78.95% of the mutations generated by the Csy4 system involved large-fragment deletions (LDs) between the two target sites. In watermelon, the Csy4 system achieved a <i>PDS</i> editing efficiency of 41.48%, with 71.43% of the edited seedlings showing LD between the two target sites. Sequencing analysis indicated that the edited melon seedlings exhibited heterozygous, three-allele mutation and chimeric events; the edited watermelon seedlings included 2/14 homozygous mutations. Compared to the commonly used Pol III promoter, using the Pol II promoter to drive sgRNA expression cassettes containing Csy4 showed the best improvement in CRISPR/Cas9 editing efficiency in melon; this system was also effective in watermelon. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-eeecb134505247608a614bd8a64724f7 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2073-4409 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| spelling | doaj-art-eeecb134505247608a614bd8a64724f72025-08-20T02:13:14ZengMDPI AGCells2073-44092024-10-011321178210.3390/cells13211782Improving the Genome Editing Efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 in Melon and WatermelonZhuanrong Wang0Lili Wan1Jian Ren2Na Zhang3Hongxia Zeng4Jiaqi Wei5Mi Tang6Institute of Crop, Wuhan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430065, ChinaInstitute of Crop, Wuhan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430065, ChinaInstitute of Crop, Wuhan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430065, ChinaInstitute of Crop, Wuhan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430065, ChinaInstitute of Crop, Wuhan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430065, ChinaInstitute of Crop, Wuhan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430065, ChinaInstitute of Crop, Wuhan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430065, ChinaCRISPR/Cas9 is a powerful genome editing tool for trait improvement in various crops; however, enhancing mutation efficiency using CRISPR/Cas9 in watermelon and melon remains challenging. We designed four CRISPR systems with different sgRNA expression cassettes to target the phytoene desaturase (<i>PDS</i>) gene in melon. The constructed vectors were delivered to host plants using <i>Agrobacterium</i>-mediated transformation. Phenotypic and genotypic analyses of the edited melon seedlings revealed that the CRISPR systems with tRNA and Csy4 spacers driven by the Pol II-type promoter significantly improved mutation efficiency, reaching 25.20% and 42.82%, respectively. Notably, 78.95% of the mutations generated by the Csy4 system involved large-fragment deletions (LDs) between the two target sites. In watermelon, the Csy4 system achieved a <i>PDS</i> editing efficiency of 41.48%, with 71.43% of the edited seedlings showing LD between the two target sites. Sequencing analysis indicated that the edited melon seedlings exhibited heterozygous, three-allele mutation and chimeric events; the edited watermelon seedlings included 2/14 homozygous mutations. Compared to the commonly used Pol III promoter, using the Pol II promoter to drive sgRNA expression cassettes containing Csy4 showed the best improvement in CRISPR/Cas9 editing efficiency in melon; this system was also effective in watermelon.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/13/21/1782CRISPRPol II promotergene editing<i>Cucumis melo</i> L.<i>Citrullus lanatus</i> |
| spellingShingle | Zhuanrong Wang Lili Wan Jian Ren Na Zhang Hongxia Zeng Jiaqi Wei Mi Tang Improving the Genome Editing Efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 in Melon and Watermelon Cells CRISPR Pol II promoter gene editing <i>Cucumis melo</i> L. <i>Citrullus lanatus</i> |
| title | Improving the Genome Editing Efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 in Melon and Watermelon |
| title_full | Improving the Genome Editing Efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 in Melon and Watermelon |
| title_fullStr | Improving the Genome Editing Efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 in Melon and Watermelon |
| title_full_unstemmed | Improving the Genome Editing Efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 in Melon and Watermelon |
| title_short | Improving the Genome Editing Efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 in Melon and Watermelon |
| title_sort | improving the genome editing efficiency of crispr cas9 in melon and watermelon |
| topic | CRISPR Pol II promoter gene editing <i>Cucumis melo</i> L. <i>Citrullus lanatus</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/13/21/1782 |
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