Plants gene editing

Gene editing in plants

Gene editing in plants has become essential in biotechnological research that addresses the global need for sustainable food and energy. However, the rigid plant cell wall hinders the delivery of gene-editing agents.

We address this challenge by designing nanogel particles (NGPs) based on modified nature-sourced building blocks: capryl-oligochitosan and oxidized inosine. Capryl substituents endowed the resultant NGPs with membrane-penetration capabilities, while the polycationic oligochitosan backbone together with purine-containing inosine allowed electrostatic/H-bond/p-p interactions with the gene-editing agents. NGPs were loaded with FAM-labeled oligonucleotide and Alexa 555–BSA protein (separately and combined).

The loaded NGPs successfully traversed plant membranes and entered leaf epidermal cells of Nicotiana benthamiana plant. Remarkably, the prepared NGPs simultaneously support two loading modes: surface complexation and core encapsulation, allowing highly desired co-delivery of different bioactive agents.

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first system that allows co-delivery of gene-editing agents in plants without auxiliary stimuli. Phytotoxicity studies verified the excellent compatibility of the NGPs with the plant. Thus, NGPs present a promising biocompatible delivery platform that can be effectively used for genetic transformation and other advanced biotechnological applications.