Plant Transformation and Genome Editing
A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Genetics, Genomics and Biotechnology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2025 | Viewed by 19588
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Efficient and appropriate transformation technologies are essential for genome editing, which will enable major advances in commercial crop product development. In recent decades, tremendous progress has been made in genetic transformation using plant morphogenic genes and plant growth transcription factors, as well as the improvement of tissue culture and DNA delivery efficiency protocols. In addition, the recent discovery of the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system revolutionized the field of plant genetics and breeding. This technology has attracted global attention and has been employed in basic and applied research in numerous crop species.
This Special Issue of Plants will highlight the improved/advanced plant transformation technologies, genome-editing efficiency improvement, and novel genome-editing approaches for crop improvement.
Dr. Myeong-Je Cho
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- plant transformation
- genome editing
- DNA (transgene)-free editing
- base/prime editing
- HDR-based editing
- CRISPR/dCas9 system
- off-target effect
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.
Planned Papers
The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.
Title: eYGFPuv-Assisted Plant Transformation and Multiplex Genome Editing in Populus deltoides
Authors: Guoliang Yuan; Gerald A. Tuskan; Xiaohan Yang
Affiliation: 1Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge TN 37831, USA
2The Center for Bioenergy Innovation, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
Abstract: Poplar (Populus spp.) is an important woody crop for biofuels and carbon sequestration. Agrobacterium-mediated stable transformation is a major approach for genetic engineering in poplar. High-quality poplar genome sequences have been generated for multiple poplar species, laying a solid foundation for genetic engineering in poplar. However, some of these poplar species are not easily transformed by A. tumefaciens. Eastern cottonwood (P. deltoides) is an important model for poplar genomics and biotechnology research due to 1) availability of high-quality genome sequence, 2) amenability to plant transformation, 3) relatively high stress tolerance, and 4) fast growth. Although P. deltoides WV94 can be transformed by A. tumefaciens, several challenges need to be addressed, including the relatively low efficiency of transformation and relatively high rate of false positives from selection based on antibiotic resistance. Here, using a UV-visible reporter eYGFPuv, we optimize the protocol for Agrobacterium-mediated stable transformation in P. deltoides WV94. The transgenic events can be easily recognized and counted in a non-invasive assay. On the other hand, CRISPR-Cas based genome editing has been widely used for plant genetic engineering because of its simplicity, high efficiency, low cost, and the possibility of targeting multiple genes. In this study, we examine the efficacy of multiplex CRISPR genome editing in P. deltoides WV94 protoplasts. Furthermore, we integrate multiplex CRISPR genome editing and eYGFPuv-assisted plant transformation to accelerate muti-gene engineering in P. deltoides WV94.