Role of CRISPR/Cas system in altering phenolic and carotenoid biosynthesis in plants defense activation

Abstract Phenolics and carotenoids play an important role in plant defense against biotic and abiotic stresses. The synthesis of these secondary metabolites is tightly controlled by several complex regulatory mechanisms. The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/Cas genome-editing tool precisely alters the function of genes leading to enhanced production of selected molecules in plants for helping to combat pests and diseases. The CRISPR/Cas system has come up with various applications by expanding and diversifying its conventional genome-editing role. Several transcription effector proteins are recruited to alter the target DNA. This leads to activation and repression of a gene; epigenome editing and use in reporting intracellular localization of the gene product. These tools find their way when assisted by various bioinformatics tools and by a comprehensive understanding of the gene and its related biosynthetic pathways.