Genome Editing in Trees: From Multiple Repair Pathways to Long-Term Stability

Area of Science:

• Plant science
• Genetics
• Biotechnology

Background:

• CRISPR technology provides unprecedented precision and control over genomic modifications across diverse species.
• Its application in trees accelerates the generation of null mutations, bypassing traditional multigenerational breeding.
• Genome editing in trees faces challenges from heterozygosity but offers opportunities for allele-specific modifications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy and implications of CRISPR technology in tree species.
• To explore the potential of CRISPR for generating homozygous knockouts in the first generation.
• To analyze the impact of sequence context and DNA repair pathways on CRISPR-induced mutagenesis in trees.

Main Methods:

• Review of published studies on CRISPR/Cas9 applications in forest, fruit, and nut trees.
• Analysis of CRISPR-induced mutational profiles and their relationship to DNA repair mechanisms.
• Assessment of CRISPR's potential for allele-specific editing in heterozygous tree genomes.

Main Results:

• CRISPR technology successfully generated null mutations in the first generation of trees, eliminating the need for extensive breeding.
• Sequence polymorphisms in trees can affect CRISPR editing efficiency but also enable allele-specific targeting.
• CRISPR-induced mutations are likely influenced by various DNA repair pathways, with sequence context playing a crucial role.

Conclusions:

• CRISPR gene editing is highly effective for rapid genetic improvement in trees.
• The technology holds significant potential for developing stable, desirable traits in elite trees through vegetative propagation.
• Understanding sequence context and DNA repair is key to optimizing CRISPR applications in tree genomics.