Advances in rice synthetic biology: Toward a better staple crop and beyond

Synthetic biology is an interdisciplinary field that applies engineering principles to design and construct novel biological systems or organisms. Initially focused on microbial systems, its applications have expanded to include plants. Plant synthetic biology offers promising solutions to pressing global challenges in agriculture and human health. As a staple crop for much of the world’s population and a model species in plant science, rice has emerged as a pivotal platform in this domain. Significant progress has been achieved in genome engineering through multiplex genome editing, synthetic hybrid rice systems, induction of apomixis, reconstruction of photosynthesis and nitrogen-fixation pathways, and biosynthesis of micronutrients, pharmaceuticals, and therapeutic proteins or peptides. This review summarizes recent advances in rice synthetic biology, outlines current developments, and discusses future research directions.