Researchers from Skoltech have successfully edited the wheat genome using the CRISPR-Cas method for the first time in Russia — specifically targeting the gene responsible for thermosensitive male sterility in wheat. The experiment has yielded mutant lines with altered spike architecture, producing twice as many grains per spike. This breakthrough opens up possibilities for developing new wheat varieties with higher productivity on the same cultivated land.
The work focused on a gene that, by analogy with rice, controls thermosensitive male sterility. Due to wheat’s complex genetic makeup — it is a hexaploid carrying three genomes — the researchers obtained an entire collection of plants with various mutations. Alongside the intended thermosensitive lines, the experiment revealed an unexpected but highly significant side effect: Some mutants displayed altered spike architecture.
“We have obtained an amazing and diverse collection of mutants. Right now in our phytotron, we are seeing forms with an increased number of kernels. From one small spikelet, instead of the usual two to four grains, we are harvesting six. It remains to be seen what will ultimately prove more valuable — the planned sterile lines or these new forms. We consider this a truly significant achievement,” shared Professor Elena Potokina, who heads the agrotechnologies direction at the Skoltech Biomed Technologies Center, the principal investigator of the project.
The team developed mutant lines using CRISPR-Cas9, biolistic transformation, and tissue culture techniques to modify the TGMS5 gene. At temperatures below 22°C, the plants are expected to remain fertile, while above 28°C they function as female forms — enabling controlled cross-pollination without manual intervention.
A key feature of this work is not merely applying the well-known CRISPR-Cas method, but successfully adapting it for a specific agricultural crop. Developing the technology to introduce precise modifications into the wheat genome took the research group four years.
“The CRISPR-Cas method is widely known and earned a Nobel Prize, but implementing it in agricultural crops like wheat is extremely challenging. After four years of effort, we have developed a technology that actually works. Now that the method is refined, we have new prospects for creating genetic diversity that simply didn’t exist before. Previously, breeding relied solely on plant genetic resources preserved in gene banks; now we have a tool to create this diversity ourselves,” explained Ajaz Shafi, the technology’s developer and a junior research scientist at the Skoltech Biomed Technologies Center.
Importantly, the resulting plants are not genetically modified in the conventional sense. Transformation was carried out without using agrobacteria, employing a gene gun instead, and in subsequent generations, researchers will select only those lines carrying the target mutations free from traces of auxiliary constructs.
The researchers emphasize the practical significance of this work for Russian and global agriculture amid a changing climate. Beyond wheat, the laboratory is actively engaged in gene editing of soybeans, sunflowers, and guar — a crop being adapted for cultivation in Russia.
“In light of rapid climate change, the question of utilizing spring and winter wheat varieties becomes increasingly relevant. We are responding to industrial demand and recognize that the need for certain varieties will grow. The mutant lines with modified spike architecture we have obtained represent a step toward developing varieties with fundamentally new productivity levels,” added Yulia Baimler, researcher and the deputy director for development at the Skoltech Biomed Technologies Center.
The scientists are now preparing for the next phase of research — growing the next generation of mutant plants under different temperatures to verify trait stability.
