Pusan National University Scientists Explore OsMATL2 Gene as a Candidate for Haploid Induction in Rice
BUSAN, South Korea, Sept. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Conventional crop breeding is not time-efficient for creating inbred lines with desired genetic traits owing to the diploid nature of plants, wherein they have two sets of chromosomes, one from each parent. In contrast, double haploid technology utilizes gene-edited haploid inducer plants to create double haploid crops that have two sets of chromosomes from a single parent. This revolutionary agricultural method can create inbred crop lines in a single generation thereby accelerating the breeding process.
- Recent studies have unveiled the potential of specific genes in triggering haploid induction, a key step in double haploid technology.
- In particular, the gene ZmMATL was identified as a pollen-specific phospholipase in maize that plays a role in haploid induction within the plant's reproductive processes.
- In a recent collaborative study, researchers from Korea led by Dr. Yu-Jin Kim from Pusan National University identified OsMATL2, a potential haploid-inducing gene in Japonica rice (Oryza sativa japonica).
- To evaluate the role of OsMATL2—the gene encoding OsMATL2 protein—in haploid induction, the team used the CRISPR/Cas9 system to generate knockout mutants (sgOsMATL2) with suppressed OsMATL2 protein expression.