Publication details
Impacts of CRISPR/Cas-mediated Chromosome Rearrangements on Arabidopsis thaliana Genome
| Authors | |
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| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | The global climate changes of recent years continuously challenge the plant genetic engineering industry in providing novel plant varieties with an unprecedented level of resistance but without sacrificing yield. For this purpose, CRISPR/Cas-mediated large-scale chromosome rearrangements, imitating those that occurred naturally during plant evolution, can be utilised (Schindele et al., 2020). Such chromosome modifications affect the genome at multiple levels, including changes in epigenetic regulation or spatial shift of functionally specialised chromosome regions, creating entirely new genetic linkages. While most studies focus on the process of generating modified plants, our research looks one step ahead as we study future generations of such plants to uncover whether and how these chromosome rearrangements will be reflected. To this end, we have carried out analyses of plant phenotype, telomere lengths, transcript levels, and structural changes within chromatin using three subsequent generations of Arabidopsis thaliana plants with stable reciprocal translocations at the ends of long arms of chromosomes 1-2 and 1-5 (Beying et al., 2020). The outcomes of our research will not only reveal the impact of the chromosome rearrangements on the organization of the genome, but also the interconnection of these changes. These findings will substantially contribute to our understanding of chromosomal rearrangements in Arabidopsis thaliana in terms of evolutionary dynamics and the adaptability of plant genome. |