Prime editing-mediated correction of the endogenous xa23 gene confers broad-spectrum resistance to rice bacterial blight

Abstract

Rice bacterial blight (BB), caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), is a devastating disease that threatens global rice (Oryza sativa L.) production. Xoo delivers transcription activator-like effectors that bind to effector binding elements in the promoters of host susceptibility (S) or resistance (R) genes, thereby triggering either disease development or defense responses. Xa23 is a broad-spectrum R gene that confers strong BB resistance by recognizing the conserved EBE_AvrXa23 in its promoter. In this study, we used an ScCas9-based prime editing system to precisely correct three consecutive mutations in the dysfunctional EBE_AvrXa23 sequence of the endogenous xa23 promoter in the susceptible japonica cultivar N9208. The engineered N9208(Xa23) line restored Xa23 inducibility upon Xoo infection and exhibited robust resistance against diverse Xoo strains without growth penalties. These results demonstrate a universal, precise, efficient, and biosafe strategy for engineering endogenous executor R genes and rapidly upgrading commercial rice cultivars for BB resistance without introducing exogenous DNA.

Keywords

bacterial blight resistance / CRISPR/Cas / Oryza sativa L. / prime editing / Xa23

References

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RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2025 The Author(s). New Plant Protection published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.