Hokkaido University and other institutions in Japan has successfully finished editing the soybean genome using genome editing technology known as "gene scissors" in. This is the first time such research has been carried out in Japan. Previously, Chinese researchers have successfully implemented the soy genome editing using “ genetic scissors †.
The Japan Agricultural News website reported that researchers from Hokkaido University and Yokohama City University used a CRISPR / Cas9 technology called " genetic scissors " to edit the genome of a Japanese-made soybean by changing the particle size. The relevant genes acquire a larger variety of soybean varieties. After planting these genome-edited soybean seeds, the researchers obtained soybean plants with stable traits. The study only changed genes associated with plant fruit size, but researchers believe that it is expected to reduce sensitizers in soybeans through genome editing techniques.
The use of " genetic scissors " for genome editing of soybeans has been successful in the world. Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences reported in May that they used CRISPR / Cas9 technology to knock out key genes in soybean flowering regulation.