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Genome editing strategies in barley ( Hordeum vulgare L. ) typically rely on Agrobacterium -mediated genetic transformation for the delivery of required genetic reagents involving tissue culture techniques. These approaches are genotype-dependent, time-consuming, and labor-intensive, which hampers rapid genome editing in barley. More recently, plant RNA viruses have been engineered to transiently express short guide RNAs facilitating CRISPR/Cas9-based targeted genome editing in plants that constitutively express Cas9 . Here, we explored virus-induced genome editing (VIGE) based on barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV) in Cas9 -transgenic barley. Somatic and heritable editing in the ALBOSTRIANS gene ( CMF7 ) resulting in albino/variegated chloroplast-defective barley mutants is shown. In addition, somatic editing in meiosis-related candidate genes in barley encoding ASY1 (an axis-localized HORMA domain protein), MUS81 (a DNA structure-selective endonuclease), and ZYP1 (a transverse filament protein of the synaptonemal complex) was achieved. Hence, the presented VIGE approach using BSMV enables rapid somatic and also heritable targeted gene editing in barley., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Tamilselvan-Nattar-Amutha, Hiekel, Hartmann, Lorenz, Dabhi, Dreissig, Hensel, Kumlehn and Heckmann.)

Recent technological advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have dramatically reduced the cost of DNA sequencing, allowing species with large and complex genomes to be sequenced. Although bread wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the world's most important food crops, efficient exploitation of molecular marker-assisted breeding approaches has lagged behind that achieved in other crop species, due to its large polyploid genome. However, an international public-private effort spanning 9 years reported over 65% draft genome of bread wheat in 2014, and finally, after more than a decade culminated in the release of a gold-standard, fully annotated reference wheat-genome assembly in 2018. Shortly thereafter, in 2020, the genome of assemblies of additional 15 global wheat accessions was released. As a result, wheat has now entered into the pan-genomic era, where basic resources can be efficiently exploited. Wheat genotyping with a few hundred markers has been replaced by genotyping arrays, capable of characterizing hundreds of wheat lines, using thousands of markers, providing fast, relatively inexpensive, and reliable data for exploitation in wheat breeding. These advances have opened up new opportunities for marker-assisted selection (MAS) and genomic selection (GS) in wheat. Herein, we review the advances and perspectives in wheat genetics and genomics, with a focus on key traits, including grain yield, yield-related traits, end-use quality, and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. We also focus on reported candidate genes cloned and linked to traits of interest. Furthermore, we report on the improvement in the aforementioned quantitative traits, through the use of (i) clustered regularly interspaced short-palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9)-mediated gene-editing and (ii) positional cloning methods, and of genomic selection. Finally, we examine the utilization of genomics for the next-generation wheat breeding, providing a practical example of using in silico bioinformatics tools that are based on the wheat reference-genome sequence., Competing Interests: HB and BA are employed by Montana BioAg Inc., VK is employed by KWS, TU is employed by Ficus Biotechnology, and PD is employed by Florimond Desprez Group. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Hussain, Akpınar, Alaux, Algharib, Sehgal, Ali, Aradottir, Batley, Bellec, Bentley, Cagirici, Cattivelli, Choulet, Cockram, Desiderio, Devaux, Dogramaci, Dorado, Dreisigacker, Edwards, El-Hassouni, Eversole, Fahima, Figueroa, Gálvez, Gill, Govta, Gul, Hensel, Hernandez, Crespo-Herrera, Ibrahim, Kilian, Korzun, Krugman, Li, Liu, Mahmoud, Morgounov, Muslu, Naseer, Ordon, Paux, Perovic, Reddy, Reif, Reynolds, Roychowdhury, Rudd, Sen, Sukumaran, Ozdemir, Tiwari, Ullah, Unver, Yazar, Appels and Budak.)

WHIRLIES are plant-specific proteins binding to DNA in plastids, mitochondria, and nucleus. They have been identified as significant components of nucleoids in the organelles where they regulate the structure of the nucleoids and diverse DNA-associated processes. WHIRLIES also fulfil roles in the nucleus by interacting with telomers and various transcription factors, among them members of the WRKY family. While most plants have two WHIRLY proteins, additional WHIRLY proteins evolved by gene duplication in some dicot families. All WHIRLY proteins share a conserved WHIRLY domain responsible for ssDNA binding. Structural analyses revealed that WHIRLY proteins form tetramers and higher-order complexes upon binding to DNA. An outstanding feature is the parallel localization of WHIRLY proteins in two or three cell compartments. Because they translocate from organelles to the nucleus, WHIRLY proteins are excellent candidates for transducing signals between organelles and nucleus to allow for coordinated activities of the different genomes. Developmental cues and environmental factors control the expression of WHIRLY genes. Mutants and plants with a reduced abundance of WHIRLY proteins gave insight into their multiple functionalities. In chloroplasts, a reduction of the WHIRLY level leads to changes in replication, transcription, RNA processing, and DNA repair. Furthermore, chloroplast development, ribosome formation, and photosynthesis are impaired in monocots. In mitochondria, a low level of WHIRLIES coincides with a reduced number of cristae and a low rate of respiration. The WHIRLY proteins are involved in the plants' resistance toward abiotic and biotic stress. Plants with low levels of WHIRLIES show reduced responsiveness toward diverse environmental factors, such as light and drought. Consequently, because such plants are impaired in acclimation, they accumulate reactive oxygen species under stress conditions. In contrast, several plant species overexpressing WHIRLIES were shown to have a higher resistance toward stress and pathogen attacks. By their multiple interactions with organelle proteins and nuclear transcription factors maybe a comma can be inserted here? and their participation in organelle-nucleus communication, WHIRLY proteins are proposed to serve plant development and stress resistance by coordinating processes at different levels. It is proposed that the multifunctionality of WHIRLY proteins is linked to the plasticity of land plants that develop and function in a continuously changing environment., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Krupinska, Desel, Frank and Hensel.)

Gene pairs resulting from whole genome duplication (WGD), so-called ohnologous genes, are retained if at least one member of the pair undergoes neo- or sub-functionalization. Phylogenetic analyses of the ohnologous genes ALBOSTRIANS ( HvAST/HvCMF7 ) and ALBOSTRIANS-LIKE ( HvASL / HvCMF3 ) of barley ( Hordeum vulgare ) revealed them as members of a subfamily of genes coding for CCT motif (CONSTANS, CONSTANS-LIKE and TIMING OF CAB1) proteins characterized by a single CCT domain and a putative N-terminal chloroplast transit peptide. Recently, we showed that HvCMF7 is needed for chloroplast ribosome biogenesis. Here we demonstrate that mutations in HvCMF3 lead to seedlings delayed in development. They exhibit a yellowish/light green - xantha - phenotype and successively develop pale green leaves. Compared to wild type, plastids of mutant seedlings show a decreased PSII efficiency, impaired processing and reduced amounts of ribosomal RNAs; they contain less thylakoids and grana with a higher number of more loosely stacked thylakoid membranes. Site-directed mutagenesis of HvCMF3 identified a previously unknown functional domain, which is highly conserved within this subfamily of CCT domain containing proteins. HvCMF3:GFP fusion constructs were localized to plastids and nucleus. Hvcmf3Hvcmf7 double mutants exhibited a xantha -albino or albino phenotype depending on the strength of molecular lesion of the HvCMF7 allele. The chloroplast ribosome deficiency is discussed as the primary observed defect of the Hvcmf3 mutants. Based on our observations, the genes HvCMF3 and HvCMF7 have similar but not identical functions in chloroplast development of barley supporting our hypothesis of neo-/sub-functionalization between both ohnologous genes., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Li, Hensel, Melzer, Junker, Tschiersch, Ruwe, Arend, Kumlehn, Börner and Stein.)

The Arabidopsis gene Chloroplast Import Apparatus 2 ( CIA2 ) encodes a transcription factor that positively affects the activity of nuclear genes for chloroplast ribosomal proteins and chloroplast protein import machineries. CIA2-like ( CIL ) is the paralogous gene of CIA2 . We generated a cil mutant by site-directed mutagenesis and compared it with cia2 and cia2cil double mutant. Phenotype of the cil mutant did not differ from the wild type under our growth conditions, except faster growth and earlier time to flowering. Compared to cia2 , the cia2cil mutant showed more impaired chloroplast functions and reduced amounts of plastid ribosomal RNAs. In silico analyses predict for CIA2 and CIL a C-terminal CCT domain and an N-terminal chloroplast transit peptide (cTP). Chloroplast (and potentially nuclear) localization was previously shown for HvCMF3 and HvCMF7, the homologs of CIA2 and CIL in barley. We observed nuclear localization of CIL after transient expression in Arabidopsis protoplasts. Surprisingly, transformation of cia2 with HvCMF3 , HvCMF7 , or with a truncated CIA2 lacking the predicted cTP could partially rescue the pale-green phenotype of cia2 . These data are discussed with respect to potentially overlapping functions between CIA2, CIL, and their barley homologs and to the function of the putative cTPs of CIA2 and CIL., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Li, Ruwe, Melzer, Junker, Hensel, Tschiersch, Schwenkert, Chamas, Schmitz-Linneweber, Börner and Stein.)

Chloroplasts, the sites of photosynthesis in higher plants, have evolved several means to tolerate short episodes of drought stress through biosynthesis of diverse metabolites essential for plant function, but these become ineffective when the duration of the stress is prolonged. Cyanobacteria are the closest bacterial homologs of plastids with two photosystems to perform photosynthesis and to evolve oxygen as a byproduct. The presence of Flv genes encoding flavodiiron proteins has been shown to enhance stress tolerance in cyanobacteria. In an attempt to support the growth of plants exposed to drought, the Synechocystis genes Flv1 and Flv3 were expressed in barley with their products being targeted to the chloroplasts. The heterologous expression of both Flv1 and Flv3 accelerated days to heading, increased biomass, promoted the number of spikes and grains per plant, and improved the total grain weight per plant of transgenic lines exposed to drought. Improved growth correlated with enhanced availability of soluble sugars, a higher turnover of amino acids and the accumulation of lower levels of proline in the leaf. Flv1 and Flv3 maintained the energy status of the leaves in the stressed plants by converting sucrose to glucose and fructose, immediate precursors for energy production to support plant growth under drought. The results suggest that sugars and amino acids play a fundamental role in the maintenance of the energy status and metabolic activity to ensure growth and survival under stress conditions, that is, water limitation in this particular case. Engineering chloroplasts by Flv genes into the plant genome, therefore, has the potential to improve plant productivity wherever drought stress represents a significant production constraint., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Shahinnia, Tula, Hensel, Reiahisamani, Nasr, Kumlehn, Gómez, Lodeyro, Carrillo and Hajirezaei.)

Barley is one of the most important cereals, which is used for breweries, animal and human feeds. Genetic manipulation of plant hormone cytokinins may influence several physiological processes, besides others stress tolerance, root formation and crop yield. In planta , endogenous cytokinin status is finely regulated by the enzyme cytokinin dehydrogenase (EC 1.5.99.12; CKX), that irreversible degrades the side chain of adenine-derived isoprenoid cytokinins. Increasing grain yield by mean of manipulation of endogenous cytokinin content was assayed by the silencing of the HvCKX1 gene. Moreover, to elucidate the putative role of HvCKX1 gene on grain production, knocked-out Hvckx1 mutant plants were generated using the RNA-guided Cas9 system. Homozygote transgenic plants with silenced HvCKX1 gene and azygous knock-out Hvckx1 mutants have been selected and analyzed. Both reduced expression of HvCKX1 gene and CKX activity were measured in different stages of barley grain development. Phenotyping of the transgenic lines revealed reduced root growth, however, plants produced more tillers and grains than azygous wild-type controls and the total yield was increased up to 15 per cent. Although plant productivity was increased, total grain biomass was decreased to 80% of WT grains. RNA-seq analysis of knock-down transgenic lines revealed that several important macronutrient transporters were downregulated in the stage of massive starch accumulation. It suggests that local accumulation of cytokinins negatively affected nutrients flow resulting in reduced grain biomass. Obtained results confirmed the key role of HvCKX1 for regulation of cytokinin content in barley.

Customizable endonucleases are providing an effective tool for genome engineering. The resulting primary transgenic individuals (T 0 ) are typically heterozygous and/or chimeric with respect to any mutations induced. To generate genetically fixed mutants, they are conventionally allowed to self-pollinate, a procedure which segregates individuals into mutant heterozygotes/homozygotes and wild types. The chances of recovering homozygous mutants among the progeny depend not only on meiotic segregation but also on the frequency of mutated germline cells in the chimeric mother plant. In Nicotiana species, the heritability of Cas9-induced mutations has not been demonstrated yet. RNA-guided Cas9 endonuclease-mediated mutagenesis was targeted to the green fluorescent protein ( GFP ) gene harbored by a transgenic tobacco line. Upon retransformation using a GFP -specific guide RNA/Cas9 construct, the T 0 plants were allowed to either self-pollinate, or were propagated via regeneration from in vitro cultured embryogenic pollen which give rise to haploid/doubled haploid plants or from leaf explants that form plants vegetatively. Single or multiple mutations were detected in 80% of the T 0 plants. About half of these mutations proved heritable via selfing. Regeneration from in vitro cultured embryogenic pollen allowed for homozygous mutants to be produced more efficiently than via sexual reproduction. Consequently, embryogenic pollen culture provides a convenient method to rapidly generate a variety of genetically fixed mutants following site-directed mutagenesis. The recovery of a mutation not found among sexually produced and analyzed progeny was shown to be achievable through vegetative plant propagation in vitro , which eventually resulted in heritability when the somatic clones were selfed. In addition, some in-frame mutations were associated with functional attenuation of the target gene rather than its full knock-out. The generation of mutants with compromised rather than abolished gene functionality holds promise for future approaches to the conclusive functional validation of genes which are indispensible for the plant.

Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) belonging to the multigene family of receptor-like kinases (RLKs) are the sensing devices of plants for microbe- or pathogen-associated molecular patterns released from microbial organisms. Here we describe Rnr8 (for Required for non-host resistance 8 ) encoding HvLEMK1, a LRR-malectin domain-containing transmembrane RLK that mediates non-host resistance of barley to the non-adapted wheat powdery mildew fungus Blumeria graminis f.sp. tritici . Transgenic barley lines with silenced HvLEMK1 allow entry and colony growth of the non-adapted pathogen, although sporulation was reduced and final colony size did not reach that of the adapted barley powdery mildew fungus B. graminis f.sp. hordei . Transient expression of the barley or wheat LEMK1 genes enhanced resistance in wheat to the adapted wheat powdery mildew fungus while expression of the same genes did not protect barley from attack by the barley powdery mildew fungus. The results suggest that HvLEMK1 is a factor mediating non-host resistance in barley and quantitative host resistance in wheat to the wheat powdery mildew fungus.

Plants display a remarkable capacity for cellular totipotency. An intriguing and useful example is that immature pollen cultured in vitro can pass through embryogenic development to form haploid or doubled haploid plants. However, a lack of understanding the initial mechanisms of pollen embryogenesis hampers the improvement and more effective and widespread employment of haploid technology in plant research and breeding. To investigate the cellular dynamics during the onset of pollen embryogenesis, we used time-lapse imaging along with transgenic barley expressing nuclear localized Green Fluorescent Protein. The results enabled us to identify nine distinct embryogenic and non-embryogenic types of pollen response to the culture conditions. Cell proliferation in embryogenic pollen normally started via a first symmetric mitosis (54.3% of pollen observed) and only rarely did so via asymmetric pollen mitosis I (4.3% of pollen observed). In the latter case, proliferation generally originated from the vegetative-like cell, albeit the division of the generative-like cell was observed in few types of pollen. Under the culture conditions used, fusion of cell nuclei was the only mechanism of genome duplication observed.

WHIRLY1 is an abundant protein of chloroplast nucleoids, which has also been named pTAC-1 with regard to its detection in the proteome of transcriptionally active chromosomes (TAC). In barley primary foliage leaves, expression of the WHIRLY1 gene is highest at the base whereas protein accumulation is highest in the middle of the leaf where young developing chloroplasts are found. In order to elucidate the function of WHIRLY1 in chloroplast nucleoids, transgenic barley plants with an RNAi-mediated knock-down of the HvWHIRLY1 gene (RNAi-W1) were generated. The homozygous RNAi-W1-7 plants, barely containing traces of the WHIRLY1 protein, were chosen for detailed analyses of nucleoids. Nucleic acid specific-staining with YO-PRO®-1 revealed that in comparison to wild type chloroplasts, which have multiple small nucleoids attached to thylakoids, chloroplasts of the transgenic plants contain large irregularly formed patches of DNA besides nucleoids that are similar in size and shape to those of wild type chloroplasts. In large electron lucent areas, filamentous structures were detected by conventional transmission electron microscopy. Analyses of ptDNA levels by both DNA dot-blot hybridization and quantitative PCR showed that leaves of the transgenic plants have a two- to three-fold higher level of ptDNA than the wild type. The higher ptDNA level in RNAi-W1 plants coincided with an enhanced expression of the gene encoding a putative organelle targeted DNA polymerase in the mid part of primary foliage leaves. Furthermore, overexpression of the barley WHIRLY1 gene in E. coli cells revealed a higher compaction of bacterial nucleoids. These results suggest that WHIRLY1 belongs to the group of plastid nucleoid associated proteins (ptNAP) having a function in compacting a subpopulation of chloroplast nucleoids thereby affecting DNA replication.