In order to understand developmental processes of plants better, KIT researchers have further developed the method of molecular scissors CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats). Molecular scissors enable the modification of plant DNA and thus reduce susceptibility to pests, diseases, or extreme climatic conditions. The CRISPR-Kill method developed by the Joseph Gottlieb Kölreuter Institute of Plant Sciences at KIT can be used to specifically prevent the emergence of specific plant cell types during plant development by eliminating the DNA of these cell types. In this process, genomes - a number of chromosomes arranged in a fixed sequence - are cut simultaneously at several points by applying the scissors.

Further links

• Press release

Image: Anusorn / iStock.com