CPSC Lecture with Professor Eilon Shani

Climate changes and population growth present significant challenges to global food security.

Plants are subjected to environmental stresses which affect plant growth and productivity and result in yield loss. Therefore, plants utilize the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) to cope with these challenges, as it regulates various processes, including drought tolerance, growth and development.

However, the molecular mechanisms that govern ABA movement are not entirely clear. The main reason that limits our ability to reveal the missing genetic components is genetic redundancy. Plant genomes are characterized by large and complex gene families that often result in similar and partially overlapping functions. This genetic redundancy severely hampers current efforts to uncover novel phenotypes.

To address the problem of masked phenotypic variation due to functional redundancy, we developed and validated Multi-Knock, a novel genetic approach in plants that combines forward genetics with dynamically targeted genome-scale CRISPR/Cas9 tools. A total of 59,129 multi-targeted sgRNAs, divided into 10 functional sub-libraries targeting 16,152 genes in Arabidopsis, were designed, synthesized, and cloned into a genome-editing intronized Cas9 vector.

In the seminar, I will describe the new genetic tools we have recently generated and explain how they allow us to discover new biological functions, from ABA transport in Arabidopsis, all the way to agricultural traits in crops.

Time and place

12 December 2025, 09:00-10:00

Auditorium 1, A2-81.01, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg C