Traditional crop breeding such as crossbreeding is an effective method that has been widely used to modify various plant species. Crop productivity and varieties can be increased effectively through crop breeding programs. In modern agriculture, the key methodologies used for breeding purposes are transgenic breeding, mutation-breeding, and GE-mediated breeding for crop improvement
[8]. Cross-breeding and genetic recombination require years to introduce desirable alleles and increase variability
[8]. Transgenic breeding is easy and well-known, improving crop traits by the exogenous transformation of genes into economically important elite varieties greatly shortens the breeding time. Still, this method inserts specific genes into the genome at random locations through plant transformation, which results in varieties containing foreign DNA. Compared to crossbreeding, mutation-breeding, and traditional transgenic breeding, GE-mediated crop breeding is fast, efficient, and accurate (
Figure 1). Genome editing (GE) improves a targeted trait in a very fast and short time and exactly revising the target gene or regulatory sequence or changing the DNA and/or RNA bases in elite varieties. The current GE technique includes meganuclease (MegN), zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) (CRISPR/Cas9)
[7][9][10][11]. In 2013, genetic modifications through the CRISPR/Cas9 method were developed in plants and revolutionized the field by eliminating the barriers to targeted GE. The CRISPR system has been used in wheat, rice, tobacco, and
Arabidopsis thaliana [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]. Till now, GE has been practiced in more than 50 plant species, and it will revolutionize plant breeding
[26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40].
Based on the composition of the CRISPR locus, this system has been divided into two classes: Class 1 requires multiple effector proteins with subtypes I, III, and IV, while class 2 requires only a single effector protein with subtypes II, V, and VI. The mode-of-action of GE by site-directed nucleases (SDNs) is that once present in a cell by insertion/expression and or transfection, the SDN is capable of cutting the genome at a targeted site. The cellular DNA-repair mechanisms fix the cut sites either by the non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) or by homology-directed repair (HDR). As NHEJ can be an error-prone process, indels can appear at the respective genomic site, leading to a loss-of-function edited gene sequence due to frameshift mutations. GE by using SDNs, can be categorized into three types: SDN-1 introduces small insertions or deletions which carry no additional or recombinant DNA. SDN-2 introduces short insertions or editing of a few base pairs by an external DNA-template sequence. The SDN-3, using a similar method to SDN-2, can be considered transgenic due to the insertion of large DNA pieces
[41][42]. Since its introduction, in recent years, constant improvements have been made to make CRISPR systems easier and more suitable for different constraints, such as CRISPR/Cas9
[12][13][43][44], CRISPR/Cas12a
[45][46][47][48][49], CRISPR/Cas12b
[50], CRISPR/Cas13
[51][52], base editing tools
[53][54][55][56][57][58][59], and CRISPR transcriptional activation (CRISPRa)
[60][61][62][63][64] (
Figure 2). A new form of GE technology, known as Prime Editing (PE) has recently been developed which is capable of achieving various forms of editing, for example, some base-to-base transfer, such as all transformations (C→T, G→A, A→G, and T→C) and transversion mutations (C→A, C→G, G→C, G→T, A→C, A→T, T→A, and T→G), as well as small indels without double-stranded breaks in the DNA. Since PE has enough versatility to accomplish specific forms of editing in the genome, it has great potential to grow superior crops for different purposes, including production, avoiding various biotic and abiotic stresses, and enhancing the quality of plant products
[57][58][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73].
2. CRISPR/Cas Technique for Disease Resistance
Biotic stresses, such as bacterial, viral, and fungal diseases, as well as herbivores, damage plant products every year, affecting 11% to 30% of worldwide agriculture production
[81]. Plant defense against pathogens can reduce the effects of disease on plant growth and productivity, which is highly relevant to the lack of food availability in the world with the increasing population. Improvements in new methods or GE techniques have improved the new resistant crops, reducing yield losses due to plant defense. Until now, CRISPR/Cas techniques were mostly used against viral infection and for fungal and bacterial disease resistance (
Figure 3). The CRISPR/Cas system has been used to develop resistance to many pathogen species
[26][82].
Figure 3. Future applications of CRISPR/Cas in plants against the biotic and abiotic stress. CRISPR/Cas represents the future of genome editing technology and the potential use of the CRISPR/Cas system in various disciplines under biotic and abiotic stresses of agriculture. With the maturity of genome editing (GE) technology and the development of new GE tools, the application of CRISPR/Cas is becoming more and more extensive. CRISPR/Cas can now achieve gene knockout, knock-in, and knock-up in plants, replacing a single base to cause amino acid changes, etc. Therefore, CRISPR/Cas can be used to modify key genes of biotic and abiotic stresses, improving crop growth and development and coping with various environmental stresses to create more germplasm resources that meet human needs.
2.1. CRISPR/Cas-Mediated Fungal Resistance in Plants
Many fungal pathogens cause lethal diseases in crop plants, such as rust, mildew, rot, and smut, which not only damage yield yearly in the biosphere but also damage the quality of the product. CRISPR/Cas has improved mycological resistance in various crop species based on the available information of the genomic mechanisms involved in crop-pathogen interactions. Defined candidate genes and gene products have provided the potential to increase plant defense against fungi
[83][84]. In three crop varieties, RNA-guided Cas9 endonuclease was used to target
MLO loci, such as tomato (
Solanum lycopersicum), grapevine (
Vitis vinifera), and wheat
[85][86][87][88][89], and transgene-free plants have been generated
[90]. An
MLO encoded protein is localized in the cell membrane and contains seven transmembrane domains, which universally exist in all dicots and monocots
[91]. Plants carrying loss-of-function alleles (
mlo) of the
MLO, such as
A. thaliana, tomato, and barley, confer durable resistance against powdery mildew
[92][93][94]. Using precision GE to target the
MLO-B1 locus of the wheat genome to generate a 304K deletion Tamlo-R32 mutant maintains wheat growth and yield while providing robust powdery mildew resistance
[79]. Out of three
MLO home alleles, one (
TaMLO-A1) has been mutated by CRISPR/Cas9 in
triticum aestivum and displayed resilient resistance against
Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici infection
[85]. The CRISPR/Cas-mediated transgene-free and self-pollinated tomato variety, which was developed by deleting the 48 bp fragment in the
SlMlo1 gene (out of 16 important
SlMlo genes), offers resistance against powdery mildew
Oidium neolycopersici [87].
In grapevine, loss of
VvMLO7 function by RNAi reduced sensitivity against powdery mildew
Erysiphe necator [95]. In parallel, the knockout of
VvMLO7 and
VvMLO3 using CRISPR/Cas9 enhanced resistance to powdery mildew in grapevine
[88][89]. In apple (
Malus Domestica) protoplasts, RNP-based technology has been successfully used to edit three (
DIPM-1,
DIPM-2, and
DIPM-4) genes to create resistance against fire blight
Erwinia amylovora [88]. CRISPR/Cas9 scheme was used to target the
VvWRKY52 transcription factor with four guide RNAs. The results showed 21% biallelic mutations in regenerated plants, and these plants confer resistance to the fungus
Botrytis cinerea compared with monoallelic mutant plants
[96]. To accelerate the GE application in woody plants, another approach based on transient leaf transformation together with disease assays was first demonstrated by researchers in
Theobroma cacao [97]. Pathogenesis-Related 3 (
NPR3) gene (the immune system suppressor) was targeted in cacao leaves, transiently by CRISPR/Cas9 system, so the leaves showed enhanced resistance against
Phytophthora tropicalis. GE of a fungicide resistant gene
PcMuORP1 by CRISPR/Cas9 elucidates a novel selection marker for
Phytophthora (a genus of oomycetes) species
[98]. In rice, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated disruption of
OsSEC3A and
OsERF922 genes confer resistance against rice blast disease
[99][100]. In addition, the
pi21 gene in rice also induced durable resistance to rice blast
[101]. Furthermore, resistance to
Magnaporthe oryzae disease in rice was enhanced by generating the
OsSEC3A mutants and showed a pleiotropic type of phenotype with an increase in salicylic acid (SA) concentration, and several genes were induced related to SA- and pathogenesis related genes
[99]. To conclude, all these successful fungal disease resistance results determined the advantage, efficacy, and potential of the CRISPR/Cas-based editing system to enhance resistance in crop plants.
2.2. CRISPR/Cas-Mediated Viral Resistance in Plants
Plant viruses are among the most common pathogens and cause hazardous diseases in a variety of economically important crops. There are five main groups based on viral genomes characters: sense-single-stranded-RNA (ssRNA+), antisense-single stranded-RNA (asRNA-), single-stranded-DNA (ssDNA), double-stranded-DNA (dsDNA), and double-stranded-RNA (dsRNA) viruses
[102]. A rolling-circle amplification system is required to replicate the virus genome through recombination-mediated duplication or by a dsDNA replicative form
[103]. Their genome holds a mutual fragment of 220 bp, which is prearranged in one (A, monopartite) or two (A and B, bipartite) constituents
[104]. The
Geminiviridae are a large family (over 360 species) of ssDNA plant viruses that cause significant losses to agriculturally and economically important crop plants worldwide
[103], such as
Malvaceae,
Solanaceae,
Fabaceae,
Euphorbiaceae, and
Cucurbitaceae [105]. The commercial term for a large genus of geminiviruses is Begomoviruses. Begomoviruses mostly produce diseases in dicotyledonous plants, for example,
Nicotiana tabacum and sweet potato (
Ipomoea batatas), and these viruses are mostly transmitted via the whitefly or leafhopper
[106][107]. CRISPR/Cas9 system was used in
Nicotiana benthamiana and
A. thaliana to target two different geminiviruses: Bean yellow dwarf virus (BeYDV) and Beet severe curly top virus (BSCTV), respectively
[108][109]. Recently, CRISPR/Cas9 techniques have also been applied to attain resistance against Begomoviruses
[110]. In the (BSCTV) genome, 43 candidates were selected to target their coding and non-coding regions using CRISPR/Cas9
[109]. In inoculated leaves, virus accumulation was significantly reduced in all CRISPR/Cas9 constructs at variable levels. However, the highest resistance was observed in
A. thaliana and
N. tabacum to virus infection displaying the maximum expression level of sgRNAs and Cas9. Similar results have been detected by employing 11 sgRNAs in
N. benthamiana, targeting the non-nucleotide sequence, Rep-binding sites, Rep motifs, and the hairpin of BeYDV
[108], and decreased up to 87% load of the targeted viral. A tobacco rattle virus (TRV) vector was used to deliver the sgRNA molecules to the N. benthamiana, stably overexpressing the Cas9 endonuclease to target the Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) genome
[110]. In that study, the CRISPR/Cas approach was effectively implemented to cleave and target the virus genome during duplication to confer resistance against TYLCV
[86][110][111].
By using specific sgRNAs, several genome loci of TYLCV (non-coding and coding sequences) were targeted in their intergenic region (IR), the RCRII motif replication protein (Rep), and the viral capsid protein (CP). Targeting the IR stem-loop invariant structure showed the lowest viral accumulation and replication
[110]. A similar CRISPR/Cas9 system was established to target the geminiviruses monopartite beet curly top virus (BCTV), and bipartite Merremia mosaic virus (MerMV), which possess a similar IR stem-loop sequence. CRISPR/Cas9 system-edited BCTV and MerMV viruses displayed tempered symptoms, indicating that combined resistance against various viral strains can be achieved by a single sgRNA specific for the conserved region of the pathogen.
The traditional SpCas9 system recognizes only dsDNA, so the defense against RNA-based viruses is difficult to attain. Nevertheless, the characterization and search for associated nucleases have steered to the discovery of LwaCas13a from (
Leptotrichia wadei) and FnCas9 from (
Francisella novicida), which have the ability to bind and cut the RNA
[112]. FnCas9 was reported to demonstrate resistance against RNA viruses
[113]. The sgRNAs designed to target the RNA of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) in
N. benthamiana and
A. thaliana transgenic plants showed a significant reduction in TMV and CMV by 40–80% compared to wild-type (WT) plants
[113]. It demonstrated that FnCas9-mediated application could be deliberated as a CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) apparatus, similar to the mitigation of gene expression by catalytically inactive proteins of SpCas9
[114]. A similar study was carried out with Cas13a for manipulating the RNA genome of turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) using RNA-guided ribonuclease
[115]. The minimum spread and replication of TuMV was observed in tobacco leaves by using the most proficient virus interference, detected with CRISPR RNA excision of
GFP2 and
HC-Pro genes.
Furthermore, the pre-CRISPR RNA was processed by Cas13 (due to its innate ability) into functional CRISPR RNA to target many viral mRNAs simultaneously. This may provide an alternative system to improve its efficiency distinctly
[115][116][117]. A second strategy is to achieve viral resistance by editing the specific plant genes that are responsible for virus resistance traits
[118][119][120]. RNA viruses need plant host factors to preserve their normal life cycle, containing the eukaryotic translation initiation factors
eIF4E,
eIF4G, and
eIF(iso)4E [121]. Host susceptibility gene
eIF4E was targeted at two different sites to create resistance against plant potyviruses by CRISPR/Cas9
[118][122][123]. A similar approach in
A. thaliana plants induced site-specific mutations at
eIF(iso)4E locus and conferred complete resistance to single-stranded RNA potyvirus -TuMV by 1 bp deletions and 1 bp insertions without any off-target modification
[119]. Recently, resistance to rice tungro spherical virus (RTSV) was developed by the mutagenesis in
eIF4G alleles
[120]. In addition, no negative effects on the growth of mutant plants were observed in studies by Macovei et al. and Pyott et al., although additional research should be conducted to verify and test the durability and efficacy of recessive resistance edited plants
[119][120].
2.3. CRISPR/Cas-Mediated Bacterial Resistance in Plants
Many pathogenetic bacteria cause diseases in crops, and the crops show several types of symptoms
[124]. Compared to fungal and viral resistance, few studies have been reported about the utilization of CRISPR/Cas against bacterial diseases in crop plant species. The
Xanthomonas oryzae pv. Oryzae causes host gene expression to induce susceptibility by utilizing the type III transcription-activator-like effectors (TALEs) system. The
X. oryzae pv. oryzae effector protein PthXo2 targets the host sucrose transporter gene
OsSWEET13 and is recognized as a sensitive gene for pathogen progression. Disease susceptibility was conferred by transferring the indica rice IR24
OsSWEET13 allele to japonica rice Kitaake, while CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutations in the allele offered resistance against bacterial blight
[125]. Recently, a mutation in the promoter of three rice genes confers broad-spectrum resistance against bacterial blight in rice
[126]. CRISPR/Cas9 was used to edit the promoter of the
Xa13, a pluripotent gene for recessive resistance to bacterial blight in rice to obtain the highly resistant rice that does not affect agronomic traits
[127]. Downy mildew resistance 6 (
DMR6) is a well-known negative regulator of plant defense. In tomato,
DMR6 ortholog
SlDMR6-1 was reported to be up-expressed during
Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato pathogen progression and
Phytophthora capsici infection
[128]. By targeting the
SlDMR6-1 (exon-3), the mutated plants conferred wide-spectrum resistance against
P. capsici,
Xanthomonas gardneri,
P. syringae, and
X. perforans [128][129][130]. The tomato bacterial speck disease (causal agent
Pseudomonas syringae) causes stomatal opening using coronatine (COR) to facilitate bacterial progression. This stomatal response in
A. thaliana relies on
AtJAZ2 (Jasmonate ZIM-domain-2), a COR co-receptor. The
JAZ2 does not have the C-terminal Jas domain (
JAZ2Δ
jas) that avoids stomatal opening using COR
[131]. The homologous gene of
AtJAZ2 in tomato is
SlJAZ2 [132]. Resistance against the model pathogen
Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pto) DC3000 was developed by targeting the dominant
JAZ2 repressor-
SlJAZ2Δ
jas by using CRISPR/Cas9 technology that prohibited stomatal opening. Improving and refining the CRISPR/Cas9 and CRISPR/Cas12a systems provide a new opportunity to edit perennial crops species such as citrus to introduce resistance against citrus greening disease
[133].
After producing successful bacterial disease-resistant tomato and
A. thaliana, the CRISPR/Cas9 system recently effectively produced citrus bacterial canker (CBC) (causal agent
Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (
X. citri) resistant citrus plants. The
X. citri is the most widespread disease in commercially cultivated citrus
[134]. CBC resistance was firstly reported in Duncan grapefruit by altering the PthA4 effector binding elements in the promoter of the Lateral Organ Boundaries 1 (
CsLOB1) gene
[135]. A significant decline in Xcc symptoms was detected in the mutated lines with no additional phenotypic alterations confirming the link between CBC disease susceptibility and
CsLOB1 promoter activity Citrus (
Citrus sinensis) (
Osbeck) Wanjincheng orange
[136]. In Wanjincheng orange, editing of
CsWRKY22 by CRISPR/Cas9 reduces susceptibility to
X. citri [137]. CBC disease resistance was enhanced by deleting the EBEPthA4 sequence completely from both
CsLOB1 alleles, and no additional changes were observed in plants with altered
CsLOB1 promoter. Recently, the CRISPR/Cas9-FLP/FRT system has been successfully induced in apple cultivars to reduce fire blight susceptibility
[138]. In conclusion, these fruitful results demonstrate that CRISPR/Cas has the potential to not only create bacterial resistance in annual and biennial crop species but also confer durable bacterial disease resistance in perennial crop plants.