**Policy Summary: CRISPR Technology for Enhanced Plant Resilience**
Researchers at the Bose Institute, supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), have developed a novel CRISPR-based technology to enhance plant resilience to heat and disease. This technology utilizes a modified CRISPR system (dCas9) that acts as a gene switch, turning on defense mechanisms only when plants are under stress, such as during heat waves or pathogen attacks.
The system incorporates a TM domain from the tomato protein NACMTF3, which keeps the dCas9 switch inactive until stress is detected. Upon detection of stress, the TM domain releases, allowing the dCas9 to activate specific defense genes.
The research team successfully tested this system in tomatoes, potatoes, and tobacco. Specifically, in tomatoes challenged with the bacterial pathogen *Pseudomonas syringae* under heat stress, the activation of defense genes *CBP60g* and *SARD1* improved disease resistance. Furthermore, the activation of heat-helper genes *NAC2* and *HSFA6b* during high temperatures helped tomato plants maintain hydration and overall health.
Published in the *International Journal of Biological Macromolecules*, this research demonstrates a promising approach for improving the resilience of solanaceous plants, including tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, and chilies, to various environmental stresses. This technology offers a potential pathway towards smart agriculture by enabling plants to conserve energy and activate their natural defense mechanisms precisely when needed.
Release ID: 2139659
Key Entities Referenced
CRISPR: Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, a gene-editing technology used to enhance plant resilience.
Bose Institute: An autonomous research institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), involved in developing the CRISPR-based tool.
Department of Science and Technology DST: A government organization overseeing scientific research and development, including the Bose Institute.
Prof. Pallob Kundu: The lead researcher who developed a modified CRISPR version called dCas9.
dCas9: A modified version of CRISPR that acts like a switch to turn genes on or off without cutting DNA.
NACMTF3: A natural protein from tomatoes, specifically its TM domain, used in the CRISPR-based tool.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules: The journal in which the research on the CRISPR-based tool was published.
Pseudomonas syringae: A bacterial pathogen that attacks tomato plants, especially during heat waves, against which the CRISPR-based tool was tested.
Ministry of Science & Technology
A New ‘Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short
Palindromic Repeats’ (CRISPR) technology can help
plants outsmart heat and disease
Posted On: 25 JUN 2025 6:31PM by PIB Delhi
A smart molecular tool developed by scientists can aid plants facing rising temperatures and infections.
Plants often feel stressed, especially when the weather is extreme or microbes attack. When they’re stressed,
their productivity decreases.
Searching for solutions that can help plants get smarter about defending themselves, researchers from Bose
Institute, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), found an answer in
CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats).
CRISPR tools usually work like scissors that cut DNA to create lasting changes. However, Prof. Pallob
Kundu and his team used a modified version called dCas9. This version does not cut DNA. Instead, it acts like
a switch that can turn genes on or off. The switch stays off until the plant experiences stress.
To develop the tool, the scientists borrowed a clever part from the tomato’s own biology—a small piece of a
natural protein called NACMTF3. This part, called the TM domain, works like a tether and keeps the dCas9
switch locked outside the control room (nucleus). But when under stress, for example, due to heat, the TM
domain lets go off the tethering function. In a moment, the switch is released and moves into the control
room, flipping on the genes that help the plant defend itself.
Fig: The diagram shows how the smart molecular tool helps tomato plants survive harsh conditions.This research, published in the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, can help solanaceous
plants handle various stresses, such as fighting pathogens and beating the heat.
The team tested this smart system in tomatoes, potatoes and tobacco and found it working
efficiently—especially in tomatoes under attack by the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae, which
becomes even more dangerous during heat waves. Normally, heat weakens the plant’s immune system,
making it more susceptible to infection. To counter this, the scientists turned on two key defense genes,
CBP60g, and SARD1, exactly when the plant needed them. This helped the tomatoes fight back against the
disease.
Using this tool, the team also turned on two “heat helper” genes—NAC2 and HSFA6b—only during high
temperatures. These genes helped the tomato plants remain green, retain more water and stay healthy despite
the heat.
With rising temperatures and unpredictable weather, farmers around the world are struggling to grow healthy
crops. This smart gene switch gives plants an edge. It saves energy by acting only during danger and boosts
the plant’s natural defense mechanism just in time.
In the future, this technology could benefit not just tomatoes and potatoes but also eggplants, chilies and other
foods crops that we rely on, paving the way toward smart agriculture.
***
NKR/PSM
(Release ID: 2139659)