Scientists from the Cotton Biotechnology Design Breeding Innovation Team at the Biotechnology Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences have developed an innovative system, termed the SGR1-based Reporter System (SRS), to validate protein-DNA interactions. Characterized by its high efficiency, reliability, intelligence, and visualization capabilities, this system has been published in a recent issue of the Plant Biotechnology Journal.

Recent advancements in omics technologies, such as RNA-Seq and ChIP-Seq, have facilitated the large-scale identification of genes regulated by transcription factors. Despite these advancements, the rapid and precise verification of these genes within plant systems continues to pose a challenge. To overcome this, the research team utilized a chlorophyll degradation gene to devise a system that visually indicates changes by altering the color of plant leaves. Furthermore, they developed an intelligent model, SMGY, to monitor these color changes. The SRS system has been successfully applied in various crops, including rice, cotton, and chili peppers, confirming interactions between five distinct types of transcription factors and DNA. It has also been effective in non-tobacco species like rapeseed and lettuce.

The creation of the SRS system marks a significant technological breakthrough in building genetic regulatory networks and advancing intelligent crop breeding. This research has received support from several major initiatives, including the Science and Technology Innovation 2030, the National Key Research and Development Program, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Science and Technology Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.