The development of effective and efficient methods, including through genetic engineering, is needed to improve plant production.
One of the new methods is through the modification of genes (DNA) in living beings called Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR). The rise of genome editing has paved the way for plant breeding, especially with the CRISPR/Cas9 system. This method has drawn interests due to its easy applications.
A number of Indonesian and Japanese researchers have collaborated on the application of CRISPR/Cas9 in several plants. The Faculty of Biology UGM has teamed up with the Graduate School of Science and Graduate School of Bioagricultural Science, Nagoya University to do research funded by the Japan Society for Promoting Science-Bilateral Joint Research Program (JSPS-BJRP Kemenristekdikti) 2017-2019.
The researchers involved in this project are Dr. Endang Semiarti (Faculty of Biology UGM), Dr. Aziz Purwantoro (Faculty of Agriculture UGM), Dr. Jaka Widada (Faculty of Agriculture UGM), Dini Astika Sari, M.Biotech (Indonesian Center for Biotechnology and Bioindustry Research), and Imam Bagus Nugroho, M.Sc. (Indonesian Center for Biotechnology and Bioindustry Research), in collaboration with Prof. Shogo Matsumoto and Dr. Yasushi Yoshioka from Nagoya University Japan.
“Genome editing can produce plants with new beneficial traits like fast flowering, disease resilience, and others,” said Endang Semiarti on Thursday (8/10) during the 3rd Workshop on Plant Genetic Engineering in Eastparc Hotel Yogyakarta from 8-9 October 2019. As many as 20 participants were academics, researchers, industry, and students from across the country.
“The workshop is aimed at disseminating the research outcomes and increasing research capacity and skills of the Indonesian and Japanese human resources, particularly on plant genetic engineering,” she said.
In the collaborative research, Endang conducted genetic modification of dendrobium and phalaenopsis orchids with bacterial infiltration of Agrobacterium tumefaciens which has been inserted with CRISPR/Cas9 system to accelerate flowering.
Another researcher, Dini Astika Sari, applied the CRISPR/Cas9 system in oil palm breeding to make it more pest resilient. Meanwhile, Shogo Matsumoto described the molecular mechanism of flower induction in plants. Yasushi Yoshioka described genome editing system with CRISPR/Cas9 technique in orchids. On the other hand, Aziz Purwantoro described plant breeding strategy in ornamental plants, while Jaka Widada described sgRNA design strategy based on bioinformatic analysis. Lastly, Imam Bagus Nugroho described confirmation of genome editing with sequence analysis.
The participants are also scheduled to directly implement plant genetic engineering techniques in the biotechnology laboratory of the Faculty of Biology UGM. One of the techniques that will be practiced is DNA isolation from plasmids and transgenic plants by using the Agrobacterium tumefaciens bacterial infiltration technique that has been added with the CRISPR/Cas9 system.
Source: https://www.ugm.ac.id/id/berita/18552-mengenal-crispr-cas9-teknik-baru-pemuliaan-tanaman
