18-BTT: Induction of double haploids in wheat using CENH3 mutants and genome editing
Lead Research Organisation:
John Innes Centre
Department Name: Crop Genetics
Abstract
Traditional wheat breeding requires six to seven generations of self-pollination to deliver highly homozygous and stable cultivars. An alternative approach is the production of doubled haploids (DH) which reduces the generation time to deliver true-breeding lines to a single generation. Current DH technologies in wheat (based on maize pollination) are laborious and require a high level of expertise and well-equipped laboratories. These are expensive resources and severely limit DH use even in developed countries. Amino acid changes in a gene called CENH3 result in haploid inducing (HI) lines in the model species Arabidopsis. We propose a strategy to combine mutants and gene-edited versions of this gene to alter CENH3 in wheat and develop haploid inducer lines. Our final goal is to accelerate wheat breeding by developing efficient haploid inducer lines that will produce doubled haploids (DH) as seeds
Technical Summary
Our goal is to accelerate wheat breeding by developing efficient haploid inducer lines that will produce doubled haploids (DH) as seeds. Current DH technologies in wheat are laborious and expensive, limiting their use. Here, we propose to modify the centromere specific histone 3 (CENH3) to develop a simpler technology of haploid production in wheat. In Arabidopsis, single amino acid changes that result in high haploid inducing efficiency have been identified. However, the translation of these results to wheat has been complicated by the buffering effect of wheat polyploidy and the presence of tightly linked CENH3 paralogs. In this project we will combine mutations in CENH3 that will result in a haploid inducer line that is viable, fertile, and genetically stable on self-fertilization, but prone to loss of its own genome on outcrossing, producing paternally derived haploids. Once mutant haploid inducer lines are established, they will produce haploids as seeds without tissue culture. This will result in a low-tech, high throughput, and inexpensive approach. The generation of DH from seeds will democratize the use of DH technology and accelerate wheat breeding cycles in both developed and developing countries.
Planned Impact
Beneficiaries of this work will be UK wheat breeding companies, which will be able to develop homozygous doubled haploid lines in a much more cost effective and timely manner than current practices. Roughly 30% of advanced lines within a UK breeding programme are derived from doubled haploid. This number is not larger due to the costs involved in their production. The technology developed within this project will allow a higher percentage of advanced lines to be derived from doubled haploids, accelerating the rate at which cultivars are tested in the field. This will help accelerate genetic gains in the UK and elsewhere as the multiple generations of selfing that are traditionally required for normal cultivar develop are circumvented with this technology. This means that BBSRC investment in wheat will reach the field more quickly than possible before.
Farmers will benefit from this impact as they will be able to grow wheat cultivars which are developed using the latest technology and that reach field more quickly compared to traditionally bred cultivars.
UK consumers will benefit from this impact as wheat constitutes a main staple in British diets. On average, each person consumes roughly 60 kg of wheat flour per year and 99.8% of UK households purchase bread at least once yearly. This is equivalent to nearly 11 million loaves of bread consumed each day in the UK alone. Being able to breed and grow local varieties with improved characteristics will help keep food prices low and at a more stable price over the year. This is especially relevant for lower income households, which assign a larger percentage of their food budget to basic groceries (such as bread and milk) than higher income households.
Farmers will benefit from this impact as they will be able to grow wheat cultivars which are developed using the latest technology and that reach field more quickly compared to traditionally bred cultivars.
UK consumers will benefit from this impact as wheat constitutes a main staple in British diets. On average, each person consumes roughly 60 kg of wheat flour per year and 99.8% of UK households purchase bread at least once yearly. This is equivalent to nearly 11 million loaves of bread consumed each day in the UK alone. Being able to breed and grow local varieties with improved characteristics will help keep food prices low and at a more stable price over the year. This is especially relevant for lower income households, which assign a larger percentage of their food budget to basic groceries (such as bread and milk) than higher income households.
People |
ORCID iD |
Cristobal Uauy (Principal Investigator) |
Description | Three lectures for PLL1 last year Plant Science course |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
Description | VIB_Ghent |
Organisation | Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie |
Department | VIB Gent |
Country | Belgium |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | We are working to annotate the cis-regulatory landscape of polyploid wheat |
Collaborator Contribution | They have run BLSSpeller on multiple Poacaea genomes |
Impact | none so far |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | AICC Conference keynote |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | AICC Conference keynote |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Argentinian International Wheat Congress (keynote) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Opening keynote Argentinian International Wheat Congress |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Discussion on gene editing and regulations with BSPB, Royal Society, UKPSF, breeders |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Discussion on gene editing and regulations with BSPB, Royal Society, UKPSF, breeders |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Discussion on gene editing with AHDB |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Discussion on gene editing with AHDB |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Discussion on gene editing with Mid Anglia branch of the Institute of Agricultural Management (IAgrM) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Discussion on gene editing with Mid Anglia branch of the Institute of Agricultural Management (IAgrM) |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Discussion on gene editing with NFU East Anglia (full membership) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Discussion on gene editing with NFU East Anglia complete membership |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Discussion on gene editing with NFU East Anglia Crop Board |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Discussion on gene editing with NFU East Anglia Crop Board |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Discussion on gene editing with NFU East Midlands |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Discussion on gene editing with NFU East Midlands |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Discussion on gene editing with NFU National Crops Board |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Discussion on gene editing with NFU National Crops Board |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Discussion on gene editing with NFU National Regional Crops Board |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Discussion on gene editing with NFU National Regional Crops Board |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Discussion on gene editing with NFU National SouthWest Regional Crops Board |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Discussion on gene editing with NFU National SouthWest Regional Crops Board |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Discussion on gene editing with NFU South West |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Discussion on gene editing with NFU South West |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Discussion on gene editing with NFU West Midlands |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Discussion on gene editing with NFU West Midlands |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | German Plant Breeding Society |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | German Plant Breeding Society: keynote |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | IWGSC Webinar |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | IWGSC Webinar on new genomic tools in wheat |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Jersey Farming Conference |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Jersey Farming Conference |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | KWS Lecture |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | KWS Lecture |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | MSc course on Model to Crop |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | MSc course on Model to Crop |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020 |
Description | Opening Lecture Eucarpia Congress (Budapest) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Opening Lecture@ Eucarpia (Budapest) |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | SIGA Congress Angelo Bianchi |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Over 100 attendants and discussion of new tools for wheat genomic research. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Seminar Ghent Biosciences |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Seminar Ghent Biosciences |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Seminar University of York |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Seminar University of York |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Seminar University of Zurich |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Seminar University of Zurich |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Three modules in Cambridge Plant Science undergraduate course |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | Three modules in Cambridge Plant Science undergraduate course (last year course PLL1) |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019,2020 |
Description | Turgrass Science Symposium |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Turgrass Science Symposium |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Velcourt Agronomist annual conference |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Velcourt Agronomist annual conference |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |