Improving cassava bacterial blight resistance by editing the epigenome

Kira M. Veley, Kiona Elliott, Greg Jensen, Zhenhui Zhong, Suhua Feng, Marisa Yoder, Kerrigan B. Gilbert, Jeffrey C. Berry, Zuh-Jyh Daniel Lin, Basudev Ghoshal, Javier Gallego-Bartolomé, Joanna Norton, Sharon Motomura-Wages, James C. Carrington, Steven E. Jacobsen () and Rebecca S. Bart ()
Additional contact information
Kira M. Veley: Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Kiona Elliott: Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Greg Jensen: Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Zhenhui Zhong: University of California at Los Angeles
Suhua Feng: University of California at Los Angeles
Marisa Yoder: Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Kerrigan B. Gilbert: Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Jeffrey C. Berry: Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Zuh-Jyh Daniel Lin: Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Basudev Ghoshal: University of California at Los Angeles
Javier Gallego-Bartolomé: University of California at Los Angeles
Joanna Norton: University of Hawaii at Manoa
Sharon Motomura-Wages: University of Hawaii at Manoa
James C. Carrington: Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Steven E. Jacobsen: University of California at Los Angeles
Rebecca S. Bart: Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Pathogens rely on expression of host susceptibility (S) genes to promote infection and disease. As DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification that affects gene expression, blocking access to S genes through targeted methylation could increase disease resistance. Xanthomonas phaseoli pv. manihotis, the causal agent of cassava bacterial blight (CBB), uses transcription activator-like20 (TAL20) to induce expression of the S gene MeSWEET10a. In this work, we direct methylation to the TAL20 effector binding element within the MeSWEET10a promoter using a synthetic zinc-finger DNA binding domain fused to a component of the RNA-directed DNA methylation pathway. We demonstrate that this methylation prevents TAL20 binding, blocks transcriptional activation of MeSWEET10a in vivo and that these plants display decreased CBB symptoms while maintaining normal growth and development. This work therefore presents an epigenome editing approach useful for crop improvement.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35675-7

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