Nanotechnology and Plant Defense: Molecular Insights into Immune Response Activation
摘要
The convergence of nanotechnology and CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)/Cas gene-editing systems offers a transformative method for enhancing plant immunity. Nanomaterials allow precise delivery of CRISPR/Cas components to specific plant cells, improving gene-editing accuracy while reducing off-target risks. Materials like lipid-based nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) protect CRISPR components from degradation and enhance cellular uptake. Additionally, their co-delivery capabilities enable the simultaneous transport of multiple CRISPR components, facilitating more complex edits, such as multiplexed gene editing in plant immune responses. Controlled release mechanisms further refine the timing and location of gene-editing activation in response to environmental or cellular conditions. This chapter explores the use of engineered nanoparticles to improve CRISPR/Cas delivery in plant cells and examines their role in enhancing plant stress responses. Studies show nanomaterials and their ability to upregulate genes linked to resilience against biotic and abiotic stress, boosting plant immune system robustness. Additionally, nanoparticles help minimize off-target mutations, preserving genome integrity. The development of biosensors for real-time CRISPR/Cas monitoring is also discussed, offering immediate feedback on gene-editing success and enabling precise immune response enhancements. This integration of nanotechnology and CRISPR/Cas systems marks a breakthrough in agricultural biotechnology, providing powerful tools to create crops with enhanced disease resistance and stress tolerance.