Development of a homologous recombination-based plant breeding technique in rice

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25850002
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Science in genetics and breeding
• Research Institution: Nara Institute of Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: SHIMATANI Zenpei 奈良先端科学技術大学院大学, バイオサイエンス研究科, 研究員 (30574701)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 次世代植物育種技術 / イネ / ゲノム編集 / 遺伝子ターゲティング / 形質転換

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Homologous recombination-based gene targeting in rice is a precise and reproducible technique to modify endogenous genes into diverse forms such as knock out, knock-in, creating fusion gene and introducing nucleotide substitution. It is also a promising strategy to develop a “New plant breeding technique (NBT)” if it was combined with a positive selection marker elimination system that leaves no footprints on the targeted gene. In this study, modified plant DNA transposon family was chosen for the system. The codon of a hyper active derivative of the transposase gene was optimized to rice, and its function as a marker gene elimination system was confirmed in rice genome. Then the system was integrated into the gene targeting vector which was designed to introduce two nucleotide substitution to endogenous OsRacGEF1 gene. The modified rice plant is assumed to express constitutive active OsRacGEF1 and show enhanced immune response against to rice blast fungus.

Free Research Field

植物育種