Gene transcription is controlled by an interplay of transcription factors and cis-regulatory
elements (CREs) – promoters, enhancers and silencers. A growing number of studies point to
an association between the CREs and advantageous traits in crops, reinforcing interest in these
elements. Previously, we intersected data from epigenome and interactome profiling in barley
embryo and predicted over 2000 putative distal CREs and their target genes. Here, we plan to
assess possible impact of these CREs on the transcription of their targets by comparing data
from barley pan-genome and pan-transcriptome. Promising CREs will be validated by a
luciferase reporter assay. Moreover, CREs of two developmentally regulated genes affecting
agronomically important traits – GTL1 and SWEET11b - will be validated by CRISPR-Cas
editing. Finally, to assess a predicted upstream regulator of SWEET11b, we will remove its
binding site from the SWEET11b promoter. Results of this project will increase the knowledge
of cis-regulation in plants and provide possible targets for bioengineering in cereal crops.