合成生物学在作物遗传改良中的应用

As a newly emerged field of study, synthetic biology combines engineering principles with biology to design and produce new biological components and modules in order to obtain desired artificial biological systems. In recent years, synthetic biology has developed rapidly. Advances in synthetic biological techniques allow for precise improvement of genetic traits in crop plants, such as increasing yield, improving product quality, and enhancing resistance against biotic and abiotic stresses. In addition, the engineered biosynthesis of many natural products has been achieved through the construction of microbial or plant cell factories to meet a wider range of human needs. In this review, we introduce recent advances in synthetic biology techniques widely applied in plants, including the design and modification of functional components, synthesis and assembly of components, and exploration of regulatory circuits and functional modules. We also summarize the latest progress in enhancing crop yield, facilitating efficient nitrogen fixation, improving crop nutrition and quality, enhancing crop adaptability to the environment, synthesizing epigenetic modules, and constructing plant cell factories using synthetic biology. Furthermore, the current challenges and future development of synthetic biology in crop genetic improvement are discussed.