CRISPR/Cas-Mediated Resistance against Viruses in Plants

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 23; no. 4; p. 2303
• Main Authors: Khan, Zainul A, Kumar, Rohit, Dasgupta, Indranil
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 19.02.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Binding sites; Combinatorial analysis; CRISPR; CRISPR/Cas; Disease resistance; Editing; Flowers & plants; Genes; Genetically altered foods; Genome editing; Genomes; MicroRNAs; Multiplexing; Mutagenesis; Mutation; Plant viruses; Propagation; Proteins; Review; Tobacco; Transgenic plants; virus resistance; Viruses; genome editing; plant viruses; multiplexing; CRISPR/Cas; virus resistance
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms23042303

CRISPR/Cas9 provides a robust and widely adaptable system with enormous potential for genome editing directed towards generating useful products. It has been used extensively to generate resistance against viruses infecting plants with more effective and prolonged efficiency as compared with previous antiviral approaches, thus holding promise to alleviate crop losses. In this review, we have discussed the reports of CRISPR/Cas-based virus resistance strategies against plant viruses. These strategies include approaches targeting single or multiple genes (or non-coding region) in the viral genome and targeting host factors essential for virus propagation. In addition, the utilization of base editing has been discussed to generate transgene-free plants resistant to viruses. This review also compares the efficiencies of these approaches. Finally, we discuss combinatorial approaches, including multiplexing, to increase editing efficiency and bypass the generation of escape mutants.