Genome Editing and RNA Interference: Effective Technologies for Improving the Nutritional Value of Grain Sorghum
Abstract
Sorghum is a heat- and drought-tolerant cereal crop utilized as a source of grain for food and feed in over 100 countries. In the context of global warming, the significance of sorghum continues to grow. Genome editing and RNA interference (RNAi) technologies offer solutions to address a key limitation of this crop: the relatively low nutritional value of its grain, which is partly caused by the resistance of storage proteins (kafirins) to proteolytic digestion. This review summarizes literature data alongside the authors’ own research in this field. These efforts have led to the development of sorghum lines carrying an RNA silencing construct targeted at the gamma-kafirin gene to improve grain protein digestibility, as well as the generation of similar mutants using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Furthermore, we present the initial results on generating waxy mutants in sorghum via genome editing. Finally, the challenges associated with employing RNA silencing and CRISPR/Cas9 technologies for the genetic improvement of sorghum are discussed.