CRISPR-Editing of Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) Homoserine Kinase Gene for Improved Downy Mildew Disease Resistance

• Main Authors: Xiaoyu Zhang, Yee Chen Low, Michael A. Lawton, James E. Simon, Rong Di
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-05-01
• Series: Frontiers in Genome Editing
• Subjects: CRISPR; Cas9; gene editing; sweet basil; Ocimum basilicum L.; homoserine kinase
• Online Access: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgeed.2021.629769/full

Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) downy mildew disease (DM) caused by Peronospora belbahrii is a worldwide threat to the basil industry due to the lack of natural genetic resistance in sweet basil germplasm collections. In this study, we used CRISPR-gene editing to modify the sweet basil DM susceptibility gene homoserine kinase (ObHSK). Gene-edited plants challenged with P. belbahrii displayed a significantly reduced susceptibility to DM, based on phenotypic disease indices and on in planta pathogen load. These results suggest that ObHSK plays a role in conditioning DM susceptibility, similar to that observed for the AtHSK gene in Arabidopsis. These results demonstrate the utility of CRISPR-gene editing in enhancing DM resistance and contributing to sweet basil breeding programs.