小麦基因编辑的现状、机遇、挑战与发展方向

Current status, opportunities, challenges, and future directions of wheat gene editing

摘要

小麦高产稳产对于保障全球粮食安全至关重要，培育和利用高产、抗病和耐逆的小麦品种是小麦高产稳产的基础。发掘、创制优异种质资源是小麦育种的根本。基因编辑技术的发展和利用，推动了小麦种质资源创制技术变革，并已创制了广谱抗条锈病和白粉病等优异小麦新种质。但基因编辑在小麦中的广泛应用面临两大难题:第一，传统基因编辑依赖遗传转化，小麦遗传转化难度大、成本高，可转化基因型受限;第二，小麦为异源六倍体，基因组大、结构复杂，致使小麦基因编辑效率偏低。近年来出现的病毒诱导的基因编辑技术(virus-induced gene editing, VIGE)使小麦基因编辑摆脱了遗传转化的限制，降低了小麦基因编辑成本，扩大了可编辑基因型范围，提高了小麦基因编辑效率。本文在介绍不同基因编辑技术在小麦中应用现状的基础上，比较小麦中现有基因编辑工具递送方法的优劣，总结基因编辑技术在小麦基因挖掘和种质创制中发挥的作用，最后讨论 VIGE 为小麦基因挖掘和种质创制带来的机遇以及小麦基因编辑依然面临的挑战和未来发展方向。

Abstract

High and stable wheat yield is critical for ensuring global food security. The development of high yield, biotic and abiotic wheat varieties is fundamental for realizing this goal. The breakthrough of wheat breeding depends on the exploration and creation of elite genetic resources. Gene editing is a cutting-edge technology. Successful application of gene editing in wheat has driven innovation in wheat germplasm development. Elite germplasm with valuable traits, including broad-spectrum resistance to stripe rust and powdery mildew, has been created using gene editing. However, the widespread application of gene editing in wheat has been constrained by two major challenges. Firstly, conventional wheat gene editing relies on genetic transformation, which is difficult, costly and highly genotype-dependent; secondly, the huge and complicated hexaploid wheat genome results in relatively low gene-editing efficiency. The recently emerged virus-induced gene editing (VIGE) bypasses the need for genetic transformation, reduces the costs of wheat gene editing, expands the range of editable genotypes, and improves wheat gene editing efficiency. This review provides a brief overview of current gene editing technology applications in wheat, compares the advantages and limitations of existing gene editing tool delivery methods, summarizes the contributions of gene editing to gene discovery and germplasm innovation, and discusses the opportunities brought by VIGE as well as persistent challenges and future directions for wheat gene editing.

关键词

小麦 / 基因编辑 / 种质创制 / CRISPR-Cas / 病毒诱导的基因编辑技术(VIGE)

Key words

wheat / gene editing / germplasm development / CRISPR-Cas / virus-induced gene editing(VIGE)

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基金资助

科技创新2030-重大项目(2023ZD04025)

国家重点研发计划项目(2023YFF1000600)