Abstract
AbstractPathogens 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 phaseolipv.manihotis, the causal agent of cassava bacterial blight (CBB), uses transcription activator-like20 (TAL20) to induce expression of the S geneMeSWEET10a. In this work, we direct methylation to the TAL20 effector binding element within theMeSWEET10apromoter 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 ofMeSWEET10a in vivoand 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.
Publisher
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Cited by
2 articles.
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