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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Molecules

CRISPR/Cas9 Editing of Starch Branching Enzyme Genes Remodels Starch Structure and Improves Nutritional Quality in Sweet Potato

  • Weijuan Fan1
  • Yanshen Li1,2,3
  • Ziyin Xu1
  • Haozhen Nie1
  • Yusen Gao1,4
  • Jun Yang1,2,3
  • Hongxia Wang1,2,3
4 affiliations
  1. 1Shanghai Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics and Resources, Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden, Shanghai 201602, China
  2. 2CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology & Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
  3. 3University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
  4. 4College of Life Sciences, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China
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Abstract

Starch branching enzymes (SBEs) play a central role in determining amylopectin architecture and starch functionality, yet their contribution to starch nutritional quality and crop performance in sweet potato remains unclear. In this study, CRISPR/Cas9 was used to target SBEI and SBEII in sweet potato, generating lines with reduced SBE activity. Edited lines showed markedly increased amylose and resistant starch contents compared with the wild type. Amylopectin chain length analysis revealed a decrease in short chains and a relative increase in longer chains, indicating substantial remodeling of branch structure. Microscopic observations further showed reduced birefringence and structural irregularities in starch granules. These structural changes resulted in altered physicochemical properties, including decreased swelling power and solubility, elevated gelatinization temperature, and modified pasting behavior. In vitro digestion assays demonstrated significantly reduced starch digestibility and lower predicted glycemic index values. Whole-genome resequencing confirmed the stable integration of T-DNA and predicted limited insertion-associated effects, further supporting that the improved starch traits were primarily derived from targeted SBE editing. Importantly, storage root yield remained comparable to that of wild-type plants. Collectively, these results demonstrate that CRISPR/Cas9-mediated SBE editing effectively improves starch nutritional quality without compromising yield, providing a promising strategy for developing health-oriented sweet potato varieties.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{fan2026crisprcas9,
  title = {{CRISPR/Cas9 Editing of Starch Branching Enzyme Genes Remodels Starch Structure and Improves Nutritional Quality in Sweet Potato}},
  author = {Weijuan Fan and Yanshen Li and Ziyin Xu and Haozhen Nie and Yusen Gao and Jun Yang and Hongxia Wang},
  journal = {Molecules},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3390/molecules31213862},
  url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/21/3862},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - CRISPR/Cas9 Editing of Starch Branching Enzyme Genes Remodels Starch Structure and Improves Nutritional Quality in Sweet Potato
AU  - Weijuan Fan
AU  - Yanshen Li
AU  - Ziyin Xu
AU  - Haozhen Nie
AU  - Yusen Gao
AU  - Jun Yang
AU  - Hongxia Wang
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/26
JO  - Molecules
DO  - 10.3390/molecules31213862
UR  - https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/21/3862
AB  - Starch branching enzymes (SBEs) play a central role in determining amylopectin architecture and starch functionality, yet their contribution to starch nutritional quality and crop performance in sweet potato remains unclear. In this study, CRISPR/Cas9 was used to target SBEI and SBEII in sweet potato, generating lines with reduced SBE activity. Edited lines showed markedly increased amylose and resistant starch contents compared with the wild type. Amylopectin chain length analysis revealed a decrease in short chains and a relative increase in longer chains, indicating substantial remodeling of branch structure. Microscopic observations further showed reduced birefringence and structural irregularities in starch granules. These structural changes resulted in altered physicochemical properties, including decreased swelling power and solubility, elevated gelatinization temperature, and modified pasting behavior. In vitro digestion assays demonstrated significantly reduced starch digestibility and lower predicted glycemic index values. Whole-genome resequencing confirmed the stable integration of T-DNA and predicted limited insertion-associated effects, further supporting that the improved starch traits were primarily derived from targeted SBE editing. Importantly, storage root yield remained comparable to that of wild-type plants. Collectively, these results demonstrate that CRISPR/Cas9-mediated SBE editing effectively improves starch nutritional quality without compromising yield, providing a promising strategy for developing health-oriented sweet potato varieties.
SN  - 1420-3049
ER  -