Effectiveness of CRISPR-edited resistance traits against emerging fungal pathogens in solanaceae
Year: 2022
Type: article
Abstract: Fungal diseases cause substantial yield losses in Solanaceae crops, with conventional resistance breeding often unable to keep pace with rapidly evolving pathogen populations. CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing offers unprecedented precision for introducing disease resistance by modifying susceptibility genes that pathogens exploit for infection. This research evaluated the effectiveness of CRISPR-edited resistance traits against five major fungal pathogens in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), potato (S. tuberosum), pepper (Capsicum annuum), and eggplant (S. melongena). Target genes included MLO (powdery mildew susceptibility), DMR6 (downy mildew resistance), and PMR4 (broad-spectrum susceptibility). Edited lines were generated using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and challenged with Phytophthora infestans, Fusarium oxysporum, Alternaria solani, Botrytis cinerea, and Oidium neolycopersici. Results demonstrated substantial resistance improvements: single-gene edits achieved 58.4-86.4% resistance compared to 18.4-32.4% in wild-type controls, while stacked edits targeting multiple susceptibility genes reached 78.6-94.2% resistance across pathogens. Editing efficiency ranged from 87.5% (tomato) to 87.8% (eggplant), with biallelic edit frequencies of 28.7-42.3%. Multi-trait evaluation revealed that edited lines maintained acceptable yield retention (82-84%), fruit quality (86-88%), and agronomic performance (78-80%) while dramatically improving disease resistance (78-94%). The mlo knockout showed particular effectiveness against powdery mildew (86.4% resistance), while dmr6 edits provided strong protection against oomycete pathogens (84.6% against late blight). Stacked edits combining both targets demonstrated synergistic effects, achieving significantly higher broad-spectrum resistance than single edits alone. These findings establish CRISPR-mediated susceptibility gene editing as an effective strategy for durable disease resistance in Solanaceae, with implications for sustainable crop protection and reduced fungicide dependence.
Author: Sagarika M
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7127050741