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New Rice Resistance Genes via Targeted Genome Editing

Ralf Koebnik of the Institut de Recherche Pour le Développement in France will generate rice plants resistant to Xanthomonas by making them unresponsive to bacterial infection by selectively generating new rice resistance genes using TALEN technology. To infect, Xanthomonas activates susceptibility genes in rice using transcription factors (TAL effectors). This work would selectively induce mutations in the promoters of rice susceptibility genes at the TAL effector binding sites by either transforming rice with a specific mutagenic TALEN locus or by directly delivering specific mutagenic TALEN proteins directly into the rice plant and then test for resistance.

More information about Protect Crop Plants from Biotic Stresses from Field to Market (Round 8)

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View the Grand Challenges partnership network

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is part of the Grand Challenges partnership network. Visit www.grandchallenges.org to view the map of awarded grants across this network and grant opportunities from partners.