Along with Dennis vanEngelsdorp, associate professor at the University of Maryland (UMD) in Entomology who was nominated for the fifth year in a row for his work in honey bee health and pollinator, was Yiping Qi, professor associate in Plant Science, representing the College of Agriculture & Natural. Resources on the Web of Science 2020 list of Highly Designated Researchers for the first time. This list includes influential scientists based on the impact of their academic publications over the year. In addition to this honor, Qi is already making waves in 2021 with a new high-profile release in. Natural plants introduces SpRY, a newly engineered version of the renowned CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing engine. SpRY virtually removes as many as possible and unobstructed barriers to gene preparation, making it possible for the first time to target almost any genomic sequence in plants for potential mutation there. As the preeminent innovator in the field, this discovery is the latest in Qi in a long line of influential tools for genome editing in plants.
“It’s an honor, an inspiration, and a recognition of my contribution to the science community,” said Qi of his reputation as the 2020 Web of Science Advanced Research Fellow. “But we’re not just contributing the academic literature. In my laboratory, we are constantly pushing new tools for better gene editing out to scientists to make an impact. “
With SpRY, Qi is particularly excited for the endless opportunities it opens up for genome preparation in plants and crops. “We have overcome the key bottlenecks in plant genome editing, which are the space constraints associated with CRISPR-Cas9. With this new toolbox, we are largely on this limitation. and can focus on almost anywhere in the plant genome. “
The original CRISPR-Cas9 mechanism that suppressed the gene editing condition was associated with targeting a specific short sequence of DNA called the PAM sequence. The short sequence is what CRISPR systems typically use to determine where to make their molecular cuts in DNA. However, the new SpRY variant that Qi introduced can move beyond these traditional PAM series in ways that were never before possible.
“This unlocks the full potential of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing for plant genetics and crop development,” says enthusiastic Qi. “Researchers will now be able to edit anywhere within their favorable genes, without questioning whether the sites are edited or not. The new tools making genome editing more powerful, more accessible, and more complex so that many of the previous editing results will be hard to achieve. Now it can be achieved. ”
According to Qi, this will have a major impact on translational research in the field of gene preparation, as well as crop breeding as a whole. “This new CRISPR-Cas9 technology will play an important role in food security, nutrition and safety. CRISPR machines are already widely used for the introduction of specific mutations into crops for improved yield. , nutrition, biotic and mature stress resistance, etc. With this new tool in the toolbox, we can accelerate the evolution and conversion of agriculture, which I expect to be used by many plant biologists and growers. the toolbox will breed in different crops. The list of possible applications for this new toolbox is endless. “
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The paper, PAM-less plant genome editing using CRISPR-SpRY toolbox, is published in Natural plants, DOI: 10.1038 / s41477-020-00827-4.
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