University of Maryland scientists have developed CRISPR-Combo, a new
tool for editing severalGenesin plants while simultaneously modifying
the expression of other genes. This breakthrough, published in/Nature
Plants/, allowsgenetic engineeringcombinations that work together to
enhance the functionality and breeding of new crops.

�??As a proof of concept, we showed that we could knock out gene A and
upregulate, or activate, gene B successfully, without accidentally
crossing over and knocking out gene B or upregulating gene A,�?� said
Yiping Qi, one of the authors of the study. They edited a gene that
makes Arabidopsis more resistant to herbicideswhile activating a gene
that causes early flowering, which produces seeds more quickly. This
resulted in a herbicide resistant Arabidopsis plant that produced eight
generations in one year instead of just four.

In the next leg of their study, the team confirmed how CRISPR-Combo
could improve efficiency in plant breeding using tissue cultures from
poplar trees. They initially edited a few traits in poplar cells, then
activated three genes that promote plant tissue regeneration. Their
findings confirmed that CRISPR-Combo leads to a highly efficient genome
editing process.

New CRISPR-Combo Boosts Genome Editing Power in Plants | College of
Agriculture & Natural Resources at UMD
[agnr.umd.edu]