Open AccessHeritable site‐specific mutagenesis using TALEN s in maize
Author(s) -
Char Si Nian,
UngerWallace Erica,
Frame Bronwyn,
Briggs Sarah A.,
Main Marcy,
Spalding Martin H.,
Vollbrecht Erik,
Wang Kan,
Yang Bing
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
plant biotechnology journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.525
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1467-7652
pISSN - 1467-7644
DOI - 10.1111/pbi.12344
Subject(s) - transcription activator like effector nuclease , biology , genetics , genome editing , gene , effector , gene targeting , locus (genetics) , mutagenesis , genome , transgene , null allele , allele , nuclease , phenotype , mutation , microbiology and biotechnology
Summary Transcription activator‐like effector nuclease ( TALEN ) technology has been utilized widely for targeted gene mutagenesis, especially for gene inactivation, in many organisms, including agriculturally important plants such as rice, wheat, tomato and barley. This report describes application of this technology to generate heritable genome modifications in maize. TALEN s were employed to generate stable, heritable mutations at the maize g lossy2 ( gl2 ) locus. Transgenic lines containing mono‐ or di‐allelic mutations were obtained from the maize genotype Hi‐ II at a frequency of about 10% (nine mutated events in 91 transgenic events). In addition, three of the novel alleles were tested for function in progeny seedlings, where they were able to confer the glossy phenotype. In a majority of the events, the integrated TALEN T‐ DNA segregated independently from the new loss of function alleles, producing mutated null‐segregant progeny in T1 generation. Our results demonstrate that TALEN s are an effective tool for genome mutagenesis in maize, empowering the discovery of gene function and the development of trait improvement.