Genetic Engineering and Genome Editing for Improving Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Plants

Cells

Anna A. Popova¹  Vadim G. Lebedev²  Konstantin A. Shestibratov² 

[1] Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, Voronezh State University of Forestry and Technologies named after G.F. Morozov, 394087 Voronezh, Russia;Forest Biotechnology Group, Branch of the Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 Pushchino, Russia;

关键词: nitrogen use efficiency;    unintended effects;    ammonium toxicity;    phosphinothricin resistance;    transgenic trees;    genetically modified plants;   

DOI  :  10.3390/cells10123303

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Low nitrogen availability is one of the main limiting factors for plant growth and development, and high doses of N fertilizers are necessary to achieve high yields in agriculture. However, most N is not used by plants and pollutes the environment. This situation can be improved by enhancing the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in plants. NUE is a complex trait driven by multiple interactions between genetic and environmental factors, and its improvement requires a fundamental understanding of the key steps in plant N metabolism—uptake, assimilation, and remobilization. This review summarizes two decades of research into bioengineering modification of N metabolism to increase the biomass accumulation and yield in crops. The expression of structural and regulatory genes was most often altered using overexpression strategies, although RNAi and genome editing techniques were also used. Particular attention was paid to woody plants, which have great economic importance, play a crucial role in the ecosystems and have fundamental differences from herbaceous species. The review also considers the issue of unintended effects of transgenic plants with modified N metabolism, e.g., early flowering—a research topic which is currently receiving little attention. The future prospects of improving NUE in crops, essential for the development of sustainable agriculture, using various approaches and in the context of global climate change, are discussed.

【 授权许可】

Unknown