Development and Application of CRISPR/Cas System in Rice

In the past several years, the CRISPR(clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)/Cas(CRISPR-associated protein) system has been harnessed as an efficient and powerful tool for targeted genome editing in different prokaryotic and eukaryotic species. Here, we review the development and application of CRISPR/Cas system in rice, emphasizing different varieties of CRISPR/Cas systems have been applied, strategies for multiplex editing, methods for precise gene insertion and replacement, and efficient systems for base editing and site-specific transcriptional regulation. In addition, the biosecurity of CRISPR/Cas system is also discussed, including transgene-free methods and off-target effects of CRISPR/Cas system. Thus, the development and application of CRISPR/Cas system will have significant impact on functional genomic research and variety improvement in rice.