Advances in application of genome editing in tomato and recent development of genome editing technology

Abstract

Genome editing, a revolutionary technology in molecular biology and represented by the CRISPR/Cas9 system, has become widely used in plants for characterizing gene function and crop improvement. Tomato, serving as an excellent model plant for fruit biology research and making a substantial nutritional contribution to the human diet, is one of the most important applied plants for genome editing. Using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated targeted mutagenesis, the re-evaluation of tomato genes essential for fruit ripening highlights that several aspects of fruit ripening should be reconsidered. Genome editing has also been applied in tomato breeding for improving fruit yield and quality, increasing stress resistance, accelerating the domestication of wild tomato, and recently customizing tomato cultivars for urban agriculture. In addition, genome editing is continuously innovating, and several new genome editing systems such as the recent prime editing, a breakthrough in precise genome editing, have recently been applied in plants. In this review, these advances in application of genome editing in tomato and recent development of genome editing technology are summarized, and their leaving important enlightenment to plant research and precision plant breeding is also discussed.

Defense Strategies: The Role of Transcription Factors in Tomato–Pathogen Interaction

“…Genome editing is a great innovation in plant breeding that facilitates efficient, precise, and targeted modifications at genomic loci that will allow the obtention of transgene-free plants. These plants are identical or similar to the ones generated by conventional breeding techniques, with the genome editing enabling the precise editing of a gene of interest [ 30 ]. Over recent years, many advances have been made in the RNA-based gene regulation approach, i.e., RNA interference (RNAi).…”

CRISPR towards a Sustainable Agriculture

“…Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), as one of the most cultivated vegetables and thanks to its aptitude for transformation and regeneration, lends itself to genetic modifications in order to facilitate the characterization of gene function, precision breeding and genetic improvement for resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses [133]. For example, the CRISPR/Cas9-induced mutation of SlMlo1 significantly reduced powdery mildew susceptibility, allowing for the generation of transgene-free powdery mildew-resistant tomato in less than 10 months [31].…”

CRISPR/Cas9 Technique for Temperature, Drought, and Salinity Stress Responses

“…Genome editing, a revolutionary and accurate genetic-engineering technology that can modify specific target genes of the organism genome, is increasingly used in many fields including plant science and crop breeding [ 9 ]. Genome-editing technology plays a role in the characterization of gene function and crop improvement [ 10 ]. There are three main types of genome-editing technology: zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and the CRISPR/Cas system [ 11 ].…”