Professor Du Fang from the College of Ecology and Nature Conservation, along with Dr. Yin Kangquan, a young researcher from the College of Grassland Science, recently collaborated on a study published in the prestigious journal Genome Biology (five-year impact factor 16.5).

The study examined endangered plants that have undergone whole-genome sequencing and found that of the 64 threatened species sequenced to date, 23 had been subjected to gene editing experiments using techniques like regeneration, transformation, and targeted gene editing. Notably, seven species successfully utilized gene editing tools delivered via Agrobacterium or gene guns, albeit with varying levels of efficiency. These findings suggest that gene editing could pave the way for innovative approaches to plant conservation.

Numerous plant taxa are threatened by habitat destruction or overexploitation. To overcome these threats, new methods are urgently needed for rescuing threatened and endangered plant species. Here, we review the genetic consequences of threats to species populations are reviewed to highlight potential advantages of genome editing for mitigating negative effects caused by new pathogens and pests or climate change where other approaches have failed. In the paper, the research team propose solutions to protect threatened plants using genome editing technology unless absolutely necessary, and further discuss the challenges associated with genome editing in plant conservation to mitigate the decline of plant diversity.

Yin Kangquan is the paper's lead and corresponding author, while Professor Du Fang serves as the co-corresponding author. Additionally, researchers from Chungnam National University and Gyeongsang National University in South Korea also contributed to the study.

Paper link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13059-024-03399-0

Written by Lan Bo
Translated and edited by Song He
Reviewed by Yu Yangyang