A team from the Innovative Genomics Institute at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) has achieved increased gene expression in a food crop by altering its regulatory DNA. While other studies have used CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing to delete or reduce gene expression, a new study published in Science Advances represents the first unbiased approach to gene editing aimed at increasing gene expression and photosynthetic activity. Unlike synthetic biology strategies that use genes from other organisms to enhance photosynthesis, genes involved in photoprotection processes are naturally present in all plants. Inspired by a 2018 Nature Communications study that improved water use … Continue reading New Gene Editing Technique by UC Berkeley Promises to Increase Rice Yields Without Foreign DNA