Nucleic Acid Detection of Plant Genes Using CRISPR-Cas13

Nucleic acid detection is vital for agricultural applications including trait detection during breeding, pest surveillance, and pathogen identification. Here, we use a modified version of the CRISPR-based nucleic acid detection platform SHERLOCK to quantify levels of a glyphosate resistance gene in a mixture of soybeans and to detect multiple plant genes in a single reaction. SHERLOCK is rapid (∼15 min), quantitative, and portable, and can process crude soybean extracts as input material for minimal nucleic acid sample preparation. This field-ready SHERLOCK platform with color-based lateral flow readout can be applied for detection and quantitation of genes in a range of agricultural applications.