Gene-edited protein kinases and phosphatases in molecular plant breeding.

Recently, significant advances have been achieved in gene editing of plant protein kinases and phosphatases using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) technology. Progress in computer science and programming could significantly improve CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing predictions and subsequent wet-laboratory experiments on protein kinases and phosphatases. Gene-edited protein kinases and phosphatases could considerably improve desirable crop traits and stress tolerance. Protein phosphorylation, the most common and essential post-translational modification, belongs to crucial regulatory mechanisms in plants, affecting their metabolism, intracellular transport, cytoarchitecture, cell division, growth, development, and interactions with the environment. Protein kinases and phosphatases, two important families of enzymes optimally regulating phosphorylation, have now become important targets for gene editing in crops. We review progress on gene-edited protein kinases and phosphatases in crops using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9). We also provide guidance for computational prediction of alterations and/or changes in function, activity, and binding of protein kinases and phosphatases as consequences of CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing with its possible application in modern crop molecular breeding towards sustainable agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]