Crop genome engineering and precise breeding with genome editing technologies

Note different date and time than usual seminars.

Date

Monday 27 November 2017

Time

12:30 AEDT – Canberra Armidale Werribee; 12:00 ACDT – Adelaide; 11:30 AEST – Brisbane; ;  09:30 AWST – Perth

Venues

CSIRO: Black Mountain – Discovery Theatre; Adelaide Waite – B101-FG-SmallWICWest; Brisbane QBP – Level 3 South telepresence room (3.323); Armidale – B55-FG-R00-Small; Perth Floreat – B1b Boardroom; Werribee (Melbourne) – Peacock Room

Speakers

Professor Caixia Gao, IGDB, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing

http://enpcce.genetics.cas.cn/PN/CXG/ACXG/

 

 

 

Synopsis

Genome editing can accelerate plant breeding by allowing the introduction of precise and predictable modifications directly in an elite background. The most promising utilization of both the CRISPR/Cas9 system and TALENs can be used to generate targeted genome modifications including mutations, insertions, replacements and chromosome rearrangements. We developed simple and efficient genome editing approaches in which wheat plants are regenerated from callus cells transiently expressed with CRISPR/Cas9 reagents introduced as DNA, RNA or RNP. We also established a plant base editing protocol suitable for introducing targeted point mutations to wheat, rice and maize genomes. This approach will not only technologically advance plant genome engineering, but may also provide better solution for social acceptance of genome-edited crops as they do not require a donor DNA template or chromosomal cleavage. These approaches may be widely applicable for producing genome edited crop plants and has a good prospect of being commercialized.

Bio

Caixia Gao is Principal Investigator of the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology (IGDB), Chinese Academy of Sciences. Prior to joining IGDB in 2009, she served as Research Scientist (Plant Genetic Transformation) of DLF-Trifolium’s biotechnology group in Denmark. Dr. Gao completed her Ph.D. in Agronomy from China Agricultural University, Beijing, and her M.Sc. and B.S. degrees in Agronomy from Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou. Her extensive research and professional experience has been in plant genome engineering, crop molecular breeding and plant genetic transformation. Caixia Gao’s research area mainly focuses on developing a highly efficient and robust TALEN and CRISPR/Cas9 platform in plant cells to enable targeted genome editing as well as employing the developed platform for targeted gene mutagenesis, addition and editing to identify and modify plants traits for high-quality, disease resistance and stress tolerance in crop species.

Professor Yao-Guang Liu, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou China

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yao_Guang_Liu2

 

Synopsis

The genome editing systems, such as CRISPR/Cas9, are powerful tools for both basic research and molecular breeding in plants. We have developed a set of CRISPR/Cas9 and sgRNA vectors for multiplex genome editing in plants. We also have developed a web-based software tool kit, CRISPR-GE, which facilitates the design of specific target sites and decode Sanger-sequencing files that contain superimposed sequencing chromatograms. In addition, we have improved our high-efficiency transgene stacking system as an effective tool for synthetic biology and genetic improvement of complex traits. We used this tool to construct the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway in rice endosperm, producing the “Purple Endosperm Rice”.

Bio

Yao-Guang Liu is a professor of South China Agricultural University. Liu received his Ph.D. in genetics in 1991 from Kyoto University. Prof Liu’s research area mainly focuses on the molecular mechanisms for cytoplasmic male sterility/restoration, environment sensitive genic male sterility, and hybrid sterility in rice. He has also made significant contributions in biotechnology, such as the developments of TAIL-PCR, plant transgene stacking systems and plant-oriented CRISPR/Cas9 tool kits and related softwares. He has published more than 130 academic papers, having received more than 5,500 ISI citations.