Genetic approaches to modify starch in crops have been limited by our knowledge of starch biosynthesis. Recent advances in Arabidopsis have revealed key genetic components determining the size, shape and number of granules in a plastid. This has opened the doors to new discoveries on granule initiation in crop species. In parallel, advances in genomic resources and gene editing technologies allow targeted manipulation of starch biosynthesis genes in isogenic crop backgrounds. Such technologies have been successfully deployed to alter starch composition, and can now be used to modify other starch traits. This will allow the complex relationships between starch structure and physicochemical properties to be elucidated, which will facilitate the rational manipulation of starches in crops.

中文翻译：

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在植物中进行靶向淀粉改性。

我们对淀粉生物合成的了解限制了在作物中修饰淀粉的遗传方法。拟南芥的最新进展揭示了决定质体中颗粒大小、形状和数量的关键遗传成分。这为作物物种中颗粒起始的新发现打开了大门。与此同时，基因组资源和基因编辑技术的进步允许在等基因作物背景中靶向操纵淀粉生物合成基因。此类技术已成功应用于改变淀粉组成，现在可用于改变其他淀粉性状。这将有助于阐明淀粉结构和理化性质之间的复杂关系，这将有助于合理操纵作物中的淀粉。