Engineering Plant Architecture via CRISPR/Cas9-mediated Alteration of Strigolactone Biosynthesis

Abstract

Precision plant genome engineering holds much promise for targeted improvement of crop traits via unprecedented single-base level control over the genetic material. Strigolactones (SLs) are a key determinant of plant architecture, known for their role in inhibiting shoot branching (tillering). Here, we used CRISPR/Cas9 in rice (Oryza sativa) for targeted disruption of CAROTENOID CLEAVAGE DIOXYGENASE 7 (CCD7), which controls a key step in SL biosynthesis. The ccd7 mutants exhibited a striking increase in tillering, combined with a dwarf phenotype, which could be rescued by application of the synthetic SL analog GR24. Striga germination assays and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis showed that root exudates of ccd7 mutants were also SL deficient. Taken together, our results show the power of CRISPR/Cas9 for targeted engineering of plant architecture and for elucidating the molecular underpinnings of architecture-related traits.