[2017 Fall Life Sciences & IBB Seminar]

▶Subject: Development of CRISPR gene editing technology and its application in rice auxin biology

▶Speaker: Prof. Yunde Zhao (University of California San Diego)

▶Date: 4:30PM/Sep. 28 (Thur.)/2017

▶Place: Auditorium(1F), POSTECH Biotech Center

▶Abctract: Auxin is an essential hormone and rice is an excellent model system for studying auxin biology. Several key auxin genes were first discovered in rice and subsequently characterized in other plant species. However, the auxin genes in rice were mainly discovered serendipitously and there is a need for a systematic research on how auxin regulates various agriculturally important traits. In this presentation, I will first describe our effort to develop gene editing technologies in rice that have enabled us to do 1) generation of targeted knockout mutants; 2) replacement of DNA fragments through homologous recombination; 3) introduction of targeted point mutations. The gene editing technologies we developed have allowed us to systematically analyze genes related to auxin biosynthesis, degradation, transport, and signaling in rice. We show that auxin plays key roles in all major development processes including root development, vascular pattern formation, and flower development. We also show