It is of great value to restore cultivated rice varieties to red rice
with good rice quality and strong stress resistance. CRISPR/Cas9 gene
editing technology was used to edit the Rc gene, restoring the red seed
coat, and laying a data foundation for the improvement of rice quality
and resistance.

Using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, the target gene Rc mutant vector
pYLCRISPR/ Cas9-Rc-gRNA was constructed and transformed into transgenic
plants with Kongyu 180 and Shangyu 453 as materials. The results were
verified by sequencing and phenotypic observation.

Two Rc mutants were obtained. For KY-1, with 4 bases deleted from 1414
bp to 1417 bp, the terminator was replaced by phenylalanine. SY-1 also
lost a base at 1411 bp, which resulted in the transformation from the
terminator to aspartic acid. The two kinds of editing materials restored
red rice phenotype and had certain saline-alkali tolerance.

Using CRISPR/Cas9 technique, we obtained homozygous lines with red seed
coat, providing basic materials for the improvement of red rice.

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