New CRISPR-Combo Tool Accelerates Regeneration of Perennial Crops, Addressing Agricultural Bottleneck
Researchers from Texas A&M AgriLife Research, the University of Maryland, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have developed a new gene-editing system called CRISPR-Combo. This tool aims to overcome a significant hurdle in plant biotechnology: the slow and often unreliable process of regenerating a whole plant from edited cells. The CRISPR-Combo system allows scientists to edit a gene of interest while simultaneously activating the plant's own natural 'morphogenic' genes, which control cell division and development into roots, shoots, and entire plants. Unlike traditional methods that insert extra copies of growth-promoting genes or rely on external hormones, CRISPR-Combo enhances the plant's existing regeneration capabilities. This innovation has shown promising results in speeding up regeneration across various crops, including notoriously difficult perennials like citrus, strawberry, poplar, and potatoes. The findings, published in Nature Communications, highlight the potential to make gene-ed...
