Genome engineering in medicinally important plants using CRISPR/Cas9 tool.

Medicinal plants have been used in herbal remedies and healthcare across world due to its secondary metabolites contents. However, low content of these important secondary metabolites and its derivatives and high demand in pharmaceutical industries needs to increase quality and productivity. CRISPR-Cas9 mediated strategy greatly improved metabolic and pathway engineering due to its easiness and high proficiency. This tool has been fruitfully used in various plants species, however in few medicinal plants such as Opium Poppy, Salvia miltiorrhiza, Chrysanthemum morifolium, Solanum pimpinellifoilium, Taraxacum kok-saghyz and orchid. The CRISPR-Cas9 mediated alteration in biosynthetic pathway of bioactive compound alkaloids in Opium Poppy, tanshinone biosynthesis, and phenolic acid metabolic pathway in Salvia miltiorrhiza has done. The application of CRISPR-Cas9 in medicinal plants is restricted due to lack of whole genome sequence information, regeneration and genetic transformation protocols. In this chapter, the current status of applicability, methods of delivery, metabolic engineering in hairy roots, challenges and forthcoming potential of CRISPR-Cas9 in medicinal plants was discussed.